Lingering Hearts Book One
by Graphicsnerd
Summary: "She's called the Lady of Darkness, but how can that be? She seems so bright." Organization XII wants her, Roxas needs her, Riku protects her, and two mysterious figures guide her. And all she wants is to find her friends: Ven, Aqua, and Terra...
1. Chapter 1: Appearance

Lingering Hearts Book 1

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE KINGDOM HEARTS SERIES, CHARACTERS, GAMES, AND OTHER RELATED TITLES. THIS FANFICTION WAS CREATED FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES AND NOT FOR MY OWN COMMERCIAL GAIN.

_Well, this is my first fanfiction :) I hope you enjoy it! The beginning has characters from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, if you don't know who they are the Kingdom Hearts website will help. I'm excited about this emerging story, in the series Sora continuously is the chain between worlds and people. I added my own character that connected all the characters in the Kingdom Hearts Series._

**Chapter 1: Appearance**

Aqua stood on the roof of an abandoned old mansion. The rusted slate shingles cracked under her feet. She groaned, _More wreckage to sort through._ After a long sigh Aqua jumped off the roof, landing squarely on the frosted grass below.

_Why would Master Eraqus send me to this forsaken world?_ Aqua looked to the sky for answers; a million stars twinkled back at her, a million worlds still blazing with vitality. _And I'm here scavenging through filth trying to find an objective that can disappear at will._

At the edge of the sky glowing more brilliantly than the other stars was her home world. Aqua tried to picture what Terra and Ven were doing there right now. A lump in her throat formed at the thought of her friends, she didn't realize how much she missed them. Her cheeks burned, tears welling up in her eyes, Aqua resolutely put her head in her hands.

Suddenly a glint of purple-blackish light caught the corner of her eye. She looked up to see a large dark sphere, releasing a sinister light across the environment.

"What _is_ that?"

* * *

"Come on," Terra glowered at a rather lazy Ventus resting at the edge of a stream on the Land of Departure.

"Aqua isn't even back yet, why do we have to train now?" Ven replied while twiddling with a piece of long grass in his mouth. Ven breathed in the freshwater scent that licked at his nose. The stream was calmly flowing, occasionally splashing on the white rock edges. _Peaceful,_ he thought.

"Because what if the chaos is much worse than Master Eraqus anticipated," Terra stated curtly then turned to walk off, not checking if Ven followed. Suddenly in a huff, Ven jumped erectly to his feet and called forth his keyblade, which appeared within a flash of light.

He grasped it tightly in the reverse grip and charged after Terra. To his surprise Terra lunged away at the last second, also brandishing his keyblade. But Ven's superior speed quickly launched himself again at Terra. To counter, Terra raised the keyblade high over his head and used his strength to send it crashing down on his opponent in a devastating blow.

But, Ven blocked the attack, the metal of the blades clanging when they crashed together. Terra forced his keyblade down onto Ven, pushing him further toward the ground. Ven swiftly skidded across the sand out of reach from Terra's brutish strength. He sidled around Terra and attempted an attack from behind, although Terra anticipated this and swung his keyblade around and locked again with Ven's blade. Ven backed up and charged again, Terra veered the keyblade at him and knocked Ven a couple yards away. For a moment Ven lay there straining for the sound of Terra charging, the moment his heavy feet were almost upon him Ven jumped high into the sky. As he began his descent Ven angled himself at Terra.

The brown haired man smirked as he pushed Ven back, "That the best you can do?" Terra asked in a mocking tone, a deep set expression on his face.

"You wish!" Ven yelped back and struck Terra's keyblade once more.

A small spark in the evening sky made the combatants pause; it looked as if it were a shooting star hurtling toward the castle. As the projectile flew closer Ven realized it to be a gummi ship. Just a few feet from the ground the ship finally leveled and rested itself in the grass.

A huge grin spread across Ven's face as he shrieked, "Aqua's back!" As if on cue the door to the gummi ship opened and a woman with blue hair stepped out.

"Ven, Terra" Aqua said softly with her melodic formal voice.

"How was your trip? Nothing too dangerous?" Terra inquired slowly.

Aqua held up one dainty hand, "First things first, I need to show you both something." Aqua strode back into the ship for a couple minutes. When she returned, a little girl emerged from the ship with her.

They edged out quietly, Aqua murmuring under her breath to coax the little girl out onto the shore. As the little girl drew closer Ven saw how frail she appeared. Just a glance at her and she looked so fragile, almost as if she was made of glass that was on the verge of shattering.

In the twilight sky the girl seemed to glow, her blond hair was accented with cascades of ringlets dancing around her face. Ven was entranced by the girl's presence, he watched her every move. Every flick of her long fingers, every nerve that pricked in the humid air, and every sparkle in her eyes.

Golden in color, her perfect almond shaped eyes burned bright with strength, despite her petite appearance. Her eyes mirrored a soul stronger than Terra could ever hope for.

Terra seemed to be thinking the same thing, "What did you do?" Terra growled in anger. Ven looked up at Terra, his position looked uncomfortable like a snake recoiling from the hot desert sun.

"Please let me explain," Aqua pleaded.

"What were you thinking?" Terra barked. Terra closed his eyes and breathed deep, trying to wrangle in his fury. A couple seconds passed and he recovered his collected mellow tone, "I'm going to report this to Master Eraqus." Terra turned on his heel and stormed off. Ven noticed the little girl cringed behind Aqua, he smiled and bent down.

"I'm Ven," he said with a cheeky grin. The girl looked at him for a moment, her golden eyes blazing into him.

Ven reached out a hand, "It's nice to meet you," she looked tentatively at Ven's outstretched hand, hers eyes appeared to be calculating the situation. She looked up to him and smiled brilliantly, the light in her eyes surging while she did so.

Affection washed over Ven, at that moment he vowed to never take his eyes off of her ever again. Even as he asked Aqua her name his eyes were continuously peeled on the beautiful form.

Aqua's eyes narrowed at him suspiciously, "…Yumi."

"Yumi," he murmured with adoration.

* * *

"Aqua," Master Eraqus stared in disbelief as she walked into the throne room with Yumi on her leg, Ven trailing slowly behind.

"Master Eraqus, I know I broke the rules," Aqua stated solemnly.

"Then why did you bring her here?" Master Eraqus's voice cracked, he was desperately trying to control himself.

Aqua looked down at the floor, "Her world was destroyed," she managed to choke out.

"Destroyed?" Eraqus whispered his tone in disbelief.

"The world was on the verge of destruction regardless," Aqua stated, "When I first got there the planet was a dirt heap of abandoned houses and people. They were dying all around me," Aqua shoved her eyes closed, keeping her composure under control.

"That's no excuse for bringing _her_here," Terra deliberated in monotone. Master Eraqus shifted but remained silent.

"When I found _Yumi_," Aqua motioned to the girl and glared at Terra, "A dark sphere had appeared above the world sucking pieces into the darkness. And these strange blue creatures with sad red eyes spawned from it."

Eraqus's eyes flashed at the mention of the blue creatures, but continued on waiting for Aqua to finish, "I fought them endlessly but with each one that fell another replaced it. Finally I tried to return to the gummi ship and escape but, on my way back Yumi was being attacked by a large horde of the creatures."

Yumi shivered at the flashback, "I was able to push them back but soon realized she had no were to go, the world had eroded to only a small sliver of land. I couldn't let her die with that world, I had to do something," Aqua finished.

Eraqus stood quietly, contemplating what she just explained, "The creatures you saw have been labeled the unversed. We know very little of them," Eraqus looked down in shame, "But I could have never anticipated that they could destroy entire worlds."

Eraqus turned to look at Yumi, "Yumi, what can you tell me about the situation?"

Yumi looked up in surprise, she seemed hesitant and sheepishly looked up at Aqua, eyes pleading.

"Master, Yumi can't speak," Aqua said. Ven flinched at this realization, _What! _He wished to cry out.

Silence reigned in the throne room, the quiet almost unbearable for Ven, then finally Master Eraqus spoke, "That changes things," Eraqus stared straight into the little girls smoldering golden eyes. Aqua drew back preparing what her Master was about to say. "She will stay."

Aqua stared at the master with overwhelming joy while Ven bounced excitedly where he stood. Terra, though, seemed less enthused; he simply stalked off on his own into the castle.

"She needs a room, and better clothes, and quite possibly…a bath," Master Eraqus added eyeing Yumi with a renewed light in them. Ven looked at Yumi, for the first time he noticed the dirt that cluttered her skin.

Aqua nodded and replied, "Yes Master Eraqus," and strode out of the throne room. Aqua led Yumi to the large bathroom within the castle; a blue mosaic tiled the floor while white marble made up the pillared walls.

Aqua took Yumi inside as a flustered Ven waited in the hall impatiently. Aqua ran some warm water in the massive porcelain bathtub and Yumi stripped of her rags then stepped carefully into the inviting water.

After a thorough bath Yumi wrapped herself in a fluffy towel and waited patiently for Aqua to return with a spare change of clothes. _Your time is coming, my liege._A soundless voice resounded in the room. Yumi jumped, _Who are you? What do you want with me?_

Before the voice had a chance to reply Aqua reentered the bathroom with a bundle of cloth in her hands. Aqua's eyes sparkled with excitement but she retained a regal appearance, "This was an old dress of mine when I was a child. I never liked it because it clashed with my blue hair but it was my mother's favorite." Aqua smiled and held out a green dress to Yumi, she slipped it on without protest.

"Perfect," Aqua stated, "But, it needs something." Aqua stared into the distance, deep in thought, her expression brightened a few moments later. Aqua gently took a water lily from a bowl on the counter and cradled it in her hands. Next, Yumi watched with awe as light twirled around the flower. Once the light dimmed, in the place of the water flower was green hair comb, outlined in gold and accented with water lilies.

"I used magic to create this special," she said a smile in her voice.

Yumi thought, _Why do they keep doing that? Smiling all the time… _A sigh escaped her lip that wasn't meant to.

Aqua giggled quietly, "Come with me. I'm sure dinner will be served soon."

_And that's Chapter 1, reviews would be awesome. Until next time..._


	2. Chapter 2: Keepers of Light and Darkness

_So here's Chapter 2 :D Thank you all for reading I hope you find this Chapter as wonderful as the first, Enjoy!_

**Chapter 2: Keepers of Light and Dark**

Sunset had just overtaken the Destiny Islands, making the ambiance almost surreal. It only made it more befitting that Riku was having this talk with Sora now. They were sitting on their favorite patch of sand, the inseparable best friends always enjoyed watching the waves at the end of the day.

"I'm just saying as we get older we won't be so happy living here," Riku stated slowly. Riku had been trying for weeks to convince Sora to explore this dark tunnel they had found but he was too scared to look inside. "We have to be ready to explore new things whenever we get that chance, whatever the risk, we have to always try."

Despite the inspirational words Sora wasn't budging, he averted his sky blue eyes and kept his attentions on the receding waves. Since birth Sora was always the subordinate one, even now when they were young children Sora never crossed Riku's decisions but he wouldn't walk into that tunnel.

Riku was getting angry, "What's your problem?" Riku pinned Sora into the sand as a last resort to get his attention.

Sora spoke seriously, a change from his usually sunny attitude, and muffled from where his face was buried, "I don't want to provoke anything to change."

* * *

_Ven is so fickle,_ Terra thought to himself in disgust.

Dinner was tricky tonight. Terra barely kept a handle on his emotions, he felt the binge of anger that rustled through his body, he was more angry at himself than anyone. This little girl was so young, yet so perfect, so strong. Terra saw the power within her, far exceeding his own, and that's what frustrated him.

Although, it was her eyes that irked him the most, her eyes were what burned into him, beacons of light that illuminated the whole of a person's soul. Something Terra preferred hidden. His soul was the one thing he could hide from his friends, he knew what was inside it, and it wasn't pleasant.

"Terra, I'm sorry," Aqua's sheepish voice cut through his thoughts. He glanced at the blue-haired woman sitting next to him. Her face was concerned. "I didn't know you'd be so angry, but trust me I had to bring her here."

Terra almost spoke a reply, but thought better of it and turned to look at the room. He was in the den of the castle, a favorite hangout for him and his friends after dinner.

On the southern wall of the room was an immense gothic window, on the northern wall was an equally large marble fireplace. The rest of the room was cluttered with white bookshelves and exquisite Persian rugs, and one fluffy couch in the center of the room.

This is where Terra and Aqua still sat in silence, as Ven lounged on the floor watching Yumi play with the rug fibers.

Aqua moved suddenly and grabbed Ventus by the ear.

"Yeowch!" he screeched.

Aqua kept a hold on his ear while she spoke, "I told you to get her a story book," she cooed then gently let go of his ear. Ven jerked away and rubbed his ear. Terra couldn't hide a slight smile on his lips, Aqua was never so abrasive, and the entire sight was comical.

As Ven got up Yumi smiled to him from her spot on the floor, her golden eyes illuminated a faint glow.

_Those eyes…that light…I've heard of that…somewhere…_Terra thought. Ever since this little girl came to The Land of Departure he hated her. Every perfect smile and light filled glance only made him hate her more.

Terra was taken back to the awkward dinner that happened earlier in the evening. Aqua tried to soothe the cringed mood between him and Yumi, but she was nervous herself and ended up chattering throughout the entire meal. Ven was quiet as he ate, lovingly gazing at Yumi, that disgusted Terra. His anger surged the more Ven took a liking to the child, and for one instant...hatred.

Terra watched as Ven brought a few children's storybooks back to Aqua, and she took them into her delicate hands. Aqua slid from the couch to sit next to Yumi on the floor, Ven following suit.

"Which would you like me to read to you, Yumi?" Aqua asked. Yumi took a short glance at the books then cast them aside. She then gracefully stood and sauntered over to the shelf, Yumi scanned through the many titles and selected one large leather-bound book. Ven's mouth was on the floor as Yumi settled between Aqua and Ven and handed them the book.

Terra quickly read the title, _History of the Keyblade_.

_Oh holy…now I know…_

_

* * *

_

Ventus waited impatiently outside the engraved oak door.

Aqua had asked him to bring Yumi to the training field this morning, so here he was, outside the still sleeping girl's door, and couldn't bring himself to open it. Ven rubbed his milky eyes in an attempt to stall.

Moments kept passing in silence, Ven gradually raised his suntanned fingers to knock on the door. His hand gently brushed the hard wood..

..And he was thrust into the room. Ven face-planted straight into the dark wood floor, somehow the door had given out and he had tripped inside the room.

Ven endeavored to stand, but then he was thrust back into the floor. Ven couldn't explain it, it seemed as if a hand was pressing him into the ground. He tried to look around to check if Yumi was all right.

He glimpsed at the large bed about a foot away from Ven's hand and there was Yumi, still in a peaceful sleep.

_What's pushing me down?_ Ven gathered the strength to tilt his head behind him.

And he saw nothing, the moment his head turned around the pressure was released and Ven could move again. Speechless, Ven shakily stood and peered around the small bedroom.

It was fairly simple of a room. Dark baseboards that matched the floor framed the cream colored walls, there was a built-in bookshelf, a couple dressers, and a chest at the end of the bed. The room wasn't too large but it seemed right for Yumi, especially all of the plants that cluttered the room.

A soft rustling sounded from the bed. Ven shuffled across the floor just as Yumi sat up.

"Good morning," Ven whispered cheerfully. Yumi, although barely awake, smiled incandescently.

Ven stretched and slipped off of the wool covers, "You can get dressed, I'll wait out in the hall and then I am supposed to take you to the training field." Yumi smiled up at him once more before Ven walked out of the room.

Soon after Yumi tentatively stepped into the hall where Ven was waiting, he immediately motioned for her to follow him and the two began walking.

As the tile floor passed beneath him, Ven turned slightly to look at Yumi; she was wearing a comb with water lilies.

"Where did you get that comb?" He asked.

She looked back at him with her eyes scrunched together.

"Oh, right," he smiled, but something inside him was still waiting for her to speak. He shook off the feeling and continued on.

A few minutes later they reached a plain field of long grass. Aqua was there to greet them.

"Good morning," she smiled maternally to Ven and Yumi.

"Morning'," Ven replied curtly.

"Are we going to stand here or start training?" a voice came from the field. Ventus turned and saw Terra leaning on his keyblade in the middle of the training ground, a smirk on his face. Aqua looked at Ven; they exchanged a nod of agreement and charged at Terra.

Ven tried a head on strike, which Terra deflected easily. Aqua then struck while Terra settled from his block. The two quickly engaged in skillful combat, Ven ricocheted off the ground and steered himself straight back into the fight.

He saw an opening at Aqua's back; he veered himself faster and pulled his keyblade back like a catapult ready to shoot. He struck…

_Ziinngg!_ Sang his keyblade as it flew away a few inches from Aqua's back.

_Dang! _He thought, _She cast a wind spell to deflect blows!_

As Ven calculated another strike Aqua had successfully pushed Terra back a few feet. The trio stood for a moment. Ven on one side, Terra on the other, and Aqua stood in the middle. A Mexican standoff.

Ven watched as Aqua's vortex faded and her eyes flitted back and forth between Terra and Ven. Ven faked a strike at Aqua, when she turned Terra lunged to strike her back as well. Aqua attempted to throw her keyblade around at Ven, he jumped into the air. Aqua didn't get to stop her keyblade and luckily caught Terra off guard, pushing him back.

Ven landed in front of Terra and locked blades with him.

All the sudden Ven felt a hard pull on his arm. He looked down, dark tendrils were tangling itself around his limbs. He saw Terra being forced to the ground with the same dark spell.

_Aqua cast gravira on us, _Ven thought, frustrated. Terra easily ripped himself from the spell with his superior strength, but Ven was forced the wait for the spell to wear off.

He watched while Terra pursued Aqua again, and again they were locking blades in a furious dance. Ven rested his head in the grass defeated. Finally he noticed that Yumi wasn't on the sidelines where he'd left her. Ven frantically scanned the horizon for her.

She wasn't very far away, only a couple yards from the field dangling her feet in one of the waterways.

He waited until the gravira spell disappeared in a wisp of dark smoke, then he crept out of the field.

"Hello," Ven stated as he approached Yumi.

She looked up and smiled, her golden eyes lighting up.

"Mind if I join you?" Ven asked, she nodded his answer. He sat in the silence just enjoying her company, although that twinge that wished her to speak returned Ven tried to ignore it as much as possible.

Somehow she must have understood his longing, her face mirrored his own, she always did that. She was thinking, again.

Ven studied her carefully while she thought, he wanted to laugh, Yumi's nose was all scrunched up. It was cute. The silence continued for a few moments, Ven closed his eyes and listened to the breeze.

When he opened his lids Yumi was smiling like crazy.

"What?" Ven asked. Yumi pointed to the waterway.

Ven looked back and forth between the water and Yumi, "Water?" Yumi's eyes glittered. She pointed up.

"Sky?" Yumi nodded frivolously. Ven realized what she was doing.

"You want me to teach you these words?" Ven inquired. Yumi again nodded. Ven smiled from ear to ear.

Yumi rustled her hand across the grass.

"Grass," Ven said. Yumi got up and started running, she smiled and pointed at everything.

"Tree's, rocks…sun," Ven replied to everything she pointed at. They continued on for long into the afternoon, Ven laughing and Yumi smiling.

* * *

"It's sick, isn't it?" Terra remarked while watching Ventus chase after Yumi. Aqua and Terra had finally noticed Ven was not in the fight anymore. They found him a few meters away playing with Yumi, Aqua watched them lovingly.

"I don't think so," Aqua replied.

"How can you say that, he's so much older than her," Terra demanded.

Aqua chuckled for a moment, "I don't think it's that type of attraction, Terra."

"Then what? I would love to understand how he can love that little girl," Terra said sardonically.

"I never told you," Aqua stated.

"Told me what?" Terra questioned.

"The reason I brought her here was not because of some strange compassion or dignity that led me to it," she paused, "It was the unversed's _reaction_ to her."

Terra looked at the blue haired woman with renewed intrigue.

"They were in a horde around her, but none dared touch her. It was almost as if they were afraid of her," Aqua continued, "Some attempted to touch her but when they did they recoiled in screeching pain."

Terra's eyes flashed to the girl, _Was I mistaken?_ He asked himself.

"I knew there was something special about her, that's why I brought her here," Aqua said.

"And how does this change Ven's actions from creepy to normal?" Terra added sarcastically. He folded his arms for emphasis on his acid words.

Aqua folded her arms as well in disapproval, "My guess is she is so pure with light the unversed couldn't take it. And when she came here her light called to Ven pulling him into her. It's not the love you think it is, he can't help it. I've sometimes felt those longings around her."

"So, she attracts light?" Terra pondered.

"That's my theory," Aqua answered curtly.

_Then why am I disgusted by her? _Terra thought while heading back into the castle for dinner.

_And that's the end of Chapter 2. Thank you for reading, please review. Until next time…_


	3. Chapter 3: Reprieve

_And now presenting chapter three__ a big thank you to user Gingersnapsback for giving me my first review! Thanks so much. Now on with the story…_

**Chapter 3: Reprieve**

Two weeks passed in a blur.

It was so interesting for everything and nothing to happen to her all at one time. Yumi wanted it to stop. She wanted to go back or at least pause. Just so that she could take it all in.

With all the smothering Aqua and Ven gave her, Yumi barely had room to breathe. They ushered her everywhere, and never left her side for even a moment. She didn't mind that much of course but some days were harder than others.

And then Terra was avoiding her, she knew he was. He always trained somewhere she wasn't, claiming to need alone practice for some Master's qualification exam, only seldom did he venture out to train with his friends when Yumi was around. What had she done to make him hate her so much? Yumi wondered if she'd ever find out.

Yumi sat on the grass puzzled. She was resting next to the waterways, thankful that she had some rarely given alone time. Terra and Aqua were training on top of the castle today for some breath endurance training, which was conveniently deemed too dangerous for Yumi to tag along.

She wished she could have watched though, Yumi loved to watch the keybladers in combat. Especially Terra, he was her favorite to study, his upfront style was simple and clear cut, his movements were easy to anticipate but hard avoiding. There was no need for secrecy when you're unstoppable.

Yumi sighed; she wished to continue lying in the sun but was losing things to think about. As a last resort she reread _The History of the Keyblade_ in her head, but once she finished Yumi realized she still had nothing to do.

She propped herself up on her elbows and surveyed the landscape around her. Which wasn't much since the training field was empty. Yumi sighed again and wondered when Ven would be back after running some errands for Master Eraqus.

She couldn't guess when he'd be back so she resolutely stood in search of something to do. As she began to walk Yumi caught sight of something in the grass next to the training field. It was brown and rather large. Yumi crept over to it, and before her was a wooden keyblade. Yumi scrunched her eyebrows at the sight wondering where it came from. She lifted the light object; etched on the side it said Terra.

An idea soon bloomed in Yumi's head. The idea was crazy but she had been dying to try for days now. Yumi made her way to the middle of the field; long grass tickled her bare feet and calves. Yumi grasped the fake keyblade in her right hand, she thrust it outward. Yumi smiled devilishly at how natural the movement was. Her muscles flexed with gratitude.

She began a complicated spiral of flurry attacks. Jabbing at the air with as much strength her frail arms possessed. Yumi was amazed at how perfect she felt when fighting, even pretend. She imagined pushing back huge hordes of enemies all on her own. Adrenaline pumped through her, she let out a small squeal of contentment.

"Oh. My. Go-" a woman's voice sounded behind her. Yumi stopped cold, rolling on her heels trying to balance herself. She slowly turned around.

And Aqua stood with Terra next to her. Aqua was completely mortified; her eyes were huge and glassy. Yumi didn't dare look at Terra, but the allure was too great and she peeked. His eyes were daggers stripping through Yumi. Rage was flowing from him in staggered waves.

"What is she doing!" Terra bellowed to no one in particular. He charged at Yumi and snatched the mock keyblade from her hands. The sheer power of it knocked Yumi back, her wrists suddenly ached.

"Terra, it's fine," Aqua tried to calm him down.

"Eraqus agreed not to let her near a keyblade until it's decided, this could change everything!" Terra yelled back.

"But it wasn't a real keyblade."

"But now she has an idea what fighting is like! Now that she knows she won't stop until she gets a Keyblade for herself! Like a leech devouring blood!" He screamed. Terra stomped off with Aqua at his heels, neither of them paying attention to the little girl watching dumbfounded at what just occurred.

Yumi wasn't totally sure what to do next. She curled up, long grass concealing her form, and she cried.

* * *

"I'll have you know I will be speaking to Terra about this very soon," Master Eraqus stated firmly. He looked down at Yumi, eyes still red from when he found her crying in the training field, he didn't know what to do and she couldn't tell him what happened. He ended up simply taking her back to his study as an attempt to distract her by helping him get a description of the unversed. Easier said than done with a mute.

_Thank God she can write, _he thought. When he had handed Yumi the paper he didn't expect much to result but somehow she had learned to write some point in her life. Yumi jumped on the opportunity to communicate and wrote down why she was crying in the grass. The story infuriated Master Eraqus.

"He shouldn't have done that to you," he said trying to hide his embarrassment. Yumi nodded and attempted a happy expression. Master Eraqus turned around for a moment then asked, "So what was your experience with the unversed, Yumi?"

Yumi tentatively grasped the quill and began writing:

_My world didn't have much to it. Most everything was abandoned and decaying, people were sick everywhere and everyone was poor. We had nothing, but it was my home. Unfortunately my mother was one of the sick, but somehow she kept herself moving to provide for me, her mute little daughter. She hid me from others on the world for fear I wouldn't fit in because I couldn't speak. So when she went to work I taught myself everything the other kids were learning, it was surprisingly easy so I moved on and surpassed what they knew. A pride bloomed in my heart, but I learned my lesson when the unversed came. I had never seen anything like them in any of the books I "borrowed". My pride vanished, because I was the same as everyone else, scared. Knowledge couldn't help me here. The unversed wrangled people in to sectors of the land that were being sucked into the sphere and they all disappeared, including my mother. I was all that was left, me and this huge horde of unversed dancing around me. That's when Aqua seemed to burst out of nowhere and saved me. Took me here. _

Yumi let one glistening tear fall as she finished and set the quill down. She sniffed then peered up at Master Eraqus. His face was white with horror, "I'm so sorry about your mother," he said but only in a whisper and put his hand on her shoulder as a comfort. Yumi shoved him off and ran out of the study.

* * *

Yumi was running as fast as she could, she didn't know where she was going but she wanted to get away. Not from Eraqus, or Aqua, or Ven, or even Terra, away from the memories. This was the first time she had thought of her mother since coming to The Land of Departure. Yumi didn't realize how painful these memories were.

Yumi continued running. An immense gust of wind beside her made Yumi realize that someone was now running with her, and keeping pace very well.

"What's wrong?" Ventus yelped from beside her. Hearing his sweet cheerful voice made Yumi trip over a snag in the ground, she was soundless while falling into the grass. Ven dug his feet into the earth and ran back to Yumi.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Ven smiled while helping her get into a sitting position. Yumi looked at him, but was still speechless. This was beginning to frustrate her; there was no one that she had ever wanted to talk to so badly.

Ven looked a little disappointed as well but mustered up a smile. "Well I guess you want to be alone," Ven slowly stood, but was interrupted by Yumi holding his arm. He turned to look at her.

"Ven…tus…" said a small quiet voice. Ven was in total shock, he sat back down.

"What did you say?" Ven questioned.

Yumi opened her mouth and spoke slowly, "I said, Ventus. Please stay," Yumi asked.

Ven couldn't believe what was going on, Yumi could speak. He reminisced on how beautiful her fragile voice was.

"Of course I'll stay, now what's wrong?"

* * *

"Terra!" Ventus screamed at the brown haired man. Terra seemed to have been taken by surprise, which was written plain on his face when Ven stormed into the dining hall. "What did you do?"

"I'm eating dinner, you should too," Terra replied coldly. Aqua looked on disapprovingly.

Ven slashed the plate off of the wood table, "What did you do to Yumi?"

Despite Ven's brash actions Terra remained calm. He stared harshly to the blonde, "She wasn't supposed to have any contact with a keyblade, I had already discussed this with Master Eraqus," Terra stated in a clipped tone.

"What possible danger could she be if she has a keyblade?" Ven huffed; he couldn't understand why Terra hated Yumi so much.

Terra sighed, "I didn't want to do this," he rolled his head to look at Aqua, "Could you let me explain?" Aqua nodded in reply then shuffled out of the dining hall.

"Ven, I should have told you sooner," Terra stated firmly.

Ven hesitated; he was still angry at Terra but resolutely looked at him in the eyes. Ven shuddered; Terra had an intimidating expression on his face. _This can't be good._

"I'm a little concerned, about that girl," Terra began.

"We all are, Terra," Ven replied sharply, he glanced down; his hands were balled up into fists.

Terra held up a bulky hand to stop him, "I wasn't finished," he shifted slightly, "I'm concerned about who she is."

"Why?" Ven inquired.

Terra answered by changing the subject, "Do you know the legend of the keyblade?" he stalked over to one of the walls and lazily scanned through the pictures that had hung there for centuries.

Ven was frozen where he stood, he felt uneasy about Terra's submissive attitude, "Of course, the keyblade is a powerful weapon that can be used for great good or great evil," Ven quoted sardonically, still siphoning a little poison into his words.

"Well, the legend has another side to it. I had forgotten it until now, but Yumi helped remind me," Terra remarked. He slyly turned to stare Ven in the eyes, "It is said that with every generation of keybladers comes forth three people. One connects the light. This person thus connects all human hearts together for they reside in the light."

Ven listened intently, trying to figure Terra's point.

"Then there is another," Terra continued, "One whom connects the darkness and all the mysterious beings within it. The being resides in the darkness willingly but cannot be destroyed by it, cursed or blessed by the darkness' power. Depending on the view of the person they may enjoy it and use the power for devastating evil. Or they may roam the realm of darkness trying to get away from the power, but almost always end up following the darkness' sinful call."

Terra flinched at his last sentence, "It is peculiar how the two come to be, they do not need to be a keyblader but the power of the blade enhances them. It is said that they both shine an eerie light from them. Something that is bright, both for the one whom connects light and connects darkness. The one whom connects darkness only falls into the dark realm after they are first exposed to it."

"Okay, I still don't understand," Ven remarked.

"I've seen that light in Yumi, I'm almost sure that she is one of the two," Ven's eyes widened, "And I can see what Master Eraqus is thinking. He is contemplating about making her his successor. But if she is one of those beings there is no way to tell if she will be lost to the dark realm. And if we give her a keyblade and she turns to darkness there could be dire consequences."

Ven felt woozy, he grabbed the table to steady himself.

"Why are you telling me this?" Ven yelped, attempting to block the terrible visions of Yumi using darkness to hurt people.

"You asked," although there was smugness about Terra there was still a dark intent beneath his words. Ven sneered at the thought.

"I-I," Ven stuttered, "I don't think Yumi would be lost to darkness. She's too good to be lost."

"Don't let your affection for her cloud your judgment," Terra stated and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Ven pleaded.

Terra turned, "Yes?"

"Who is the third?" Ven asked.

"Huh?" Terra replied.

"The third person? Who are they?" Ven shrieked impatiently.

Terra sighed, "The third is the connecter between the light and dark. Everything is connected through him. All the worlds, every heart, even light and darkness. He is the one that keeps balance."

Ven had one more question, "Why do these people come forth?" Ven managed to choke it out, his mind was in a whirlwind of thought.

Terra looked around, as if the question took him by surprise.

Terra kept silent, it was excruciating for Ven.

"Ven," Terra finally said, "Have you heard...

…of Kingdom Hearts?"

* * *

Yumi was sleepy, the moment her fragile glass form hit the overstuffed mattress she was sleepy. Her eyes lazily drooped…

Ven had talked to her for hours today, both surprised by the sound of her voice.

Even Master Eraqus had been surprised when Ven brought her back to his study, and Yumi was able to speak.

"How is this possible?" He had questioned out loud after Yumi said hello.

"Who cares if it's possible just be happy it happened!" Ventus jumped excitedly up and down.

"Just tell me how you did it Yumi, please," Master Eraqus begged.

"I just told myself to start speaking," Yumi stated. She looked over to Ven, who was still beaming at the sound of her voice.

"Strange…" Master Eraqus trailed off. He then was lost in a daze of his own thought. Yumi guessed it best to leave him alone; Ven had the same understanding and lead her out of the room. But just before she left, Yumi heard Master Eraqus grumble one last thing from his daze.

"She's stronger than we thought."

Yumi settled deeper into her plush white mattress. At the moment that was the last thing on her mind.

_Why did you give her back her voice? You know what may happen if she gets the chance…_

A soundless voice rang through Yumi's head that awakened her entire body. She sat stagnant and still on the bed.

_I gave it back to her because now she is of use to us. We could never have used this tool as well if she was mute._

Yumi jumped when she realized that these voices were talking about her.

_She isn't ready to be thrust into the darkness._

_Then we'll make her ready._

Yumi screamed, she didn't know if this was a sick delusion from her imagination or if this was real, but either way she was petrified.

Suddenly Ven burst through the door.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Ven frantically asked in between pants for breath.

"I-I," Yumi stuttered. What could she say? Some voices in her head want to throw her into darkness? Yumi couldn't tell Ventus what happened, "I saw a shadow that was shaped like an unversed. It startled me," Yumi lied.

Relief swept over Ven's face, "Oh, I was so worried when I heard you scream…" Ven trailed off.

Yumi smiled up to him.

"I'm so glad you're all right," Ven smiled a cheeky grin back to Yumi, "I should probably let you sleep."

"Ven, no-" Yumi squealed, "Please stay." She hoped he could see the yearning in her expression.

Ven looked back to the door, then to Yumi, "That shadow really spooked you, didn't it?"

"Yes," Yumi lied again. Ven nodded and sat down in a chair that was across from her bed.

"I'll stay right here, all night," Ven smiled broadly. Yumi smiled back then lay down and swiftly drifted into sleep.

Some point the next morning Yumi shifted awake to find Ven sleeping in the chair still. She smiled, happy that he stayed there all night.

Yumi yawned and stretched just when Aqua burst through her bedroom door.

"Good morning!" Aqua jeered. In her hands she was holding a cup of orange juice and a plate of breakfast for Yumi. She was smiling at Yumi until Ven let out a huge snore. Aqua's entire expression changed in a second when she saw the boy in Yumi's room.

Aqua dropped the food and ran straight to Ven, "Pedophile!" She screeched while tackling him.

"What are you doing?" Ven yelled, displeased with the sudden awakening.

"Why are _you_ in _her_ room?" Aqua questioned as she held him pinned to the chair.

"I asked him to," Yumi answered. Aqua froze when Yumi spoke. She quickly turned around with eyes full of wonder.

"You can speak?" Aqua asked, not truly believing her ears.

"I can now," Yumi smiled.

Aqua was speechless; she kept on smiling and walked out of the room, motioning for Ven to follow so that Yumi could get dressed, her rage forgotten. As soon as the door shut behind the two Yumi slipped on a red dress Aqua had put in her closet a few days ago, and fixed the comb in her hair like she did every day.

_We are waiting, my liege. We'll always be waiting._ A voice that made no noise filled her head.

_Oh no, not again, _Yumi thought. She ignored the words and met Ven and Aqua in the hallway. For some reason Ven looked angrier than he did when he left the room, Yumi had forgotten she could have asked if she wanted to and simply stayed silent. She followed Aqua watching her feet glide over the floor.

"Terra needs to talk," Aqua stated curtly when they had made some distance down the hall. Yumi shivered at Terra's name, remembering how angry he was at her only yesterday.

"See that proves we shouldn't take her to see him, she's scared out of her mind," Ven talked down to her, as if she wasn't there. Assuming his will was better than hers. Yumi found herself annoyed with Ven for the first time, but now she had a weapon in her arsenal.

"I'll talk with him," Yumi said. Ven stared at Yumi for a moment, bewilderment plain on his face, then hung his head and walked behind her silently. Guilt crashed over Yumi, like a tidal wave on the sand, she almost turned to tell Ven she wouldn't go but it was too late. They had arrived.

* * *

Aqua was the first to walk into the den, Yumi following close by half-cringing behind the woman, and Ven last.

Terra watched all three enter from his seat on the couch.

"Good morning," Aqua attempted small talk.

Terra took one glance at Aqua then turned his attention to Yumi; he scrunched up his nose in disgust. "So she can speak now, I hear, go on talk to me," Terra sneered, he tried to control the anger bubbling in his voice.

Yumi sheepishly stepped out from her vestige behind Aqua then looked Terra in the eye, he hated that so much. "If you're going to yell at me again I can just leave now," she said. This surprised Terra, was she being _sarcastic? _There was even harshness to her voice as if to invoke guilt in him. Terra knew this game well, she was just learning the ropes, he wouldn't allow her to play him.

"Aqua, you and Ven can leave," Terra ordered in a tone cold as steel while keeping a firm stare on Yumi. Aqua obliged without a word, tugging Ven with her out of the room.

Silence reigned, Yumi looked to be studying Terra closely.

"Master Eraqus told me to apologize," Terra spoke nonchalantly, Yumi kept her gaze. Burning him with those eyes. Terra finally couldn't take it and pretended to study his fingers nails, appearing collected.

"You don't feel bad for what you did?" Yumi inquired, stunned at the guiltless man. Terra smiled; there was a weak point number one. He decided to play on that for just a moment.

"No I can't say I do," Terra sighed and mustered the strength to offer a return glare. Yumi backed off, averting her eyes to the sunlight trickling in the room through the window. Weak point number two.

Terra continued, "Are you even wondering why I asked you to come in here alone?"

Yumi breathed deep and turned back to him, "Hadn't crossed my mind." A high amount of sarcasm was in her intonation. She was trying to be brave. Weak point number three, Terra had her.

"Such harsh words for someone who has only used her voice one day," that one hit home, Terra knew it. Yumi sunk her head down, she looked defeated. A twinge of guilt touched Terra, that was a low blow, of course he wasn't about to admit that.

"Look, I wanted you in here to apologize. I am sorry for getting so angry that was a little uncalled for," Terra said. Yumi looked up again; perhaps he'd given her too much. A closer look into her eyes, though, Terra saw sadness.

"Why do you hate me so much? What did I do to you? Because whatever it is I am very sorry," Yumi pleaded, tears touching the rims of her eyes. That hurt Terra, he didn't know why.

He waited a moment to try and explain his disliking or at least disclaim that he hated her. He was at a loss for both, "I…don't know," he choked out.

Yumi looked down, disappointed. She spotted the bookshelf and then did something amazing. She walked over to the sleek white shelves and picked out one of those children's storybooks Ven had picked out the first night she had been here and handed it to Terra.

"Please read it to me," Yumi smiled a brilliant smile to Terra. He couldn't explain it, but he melted, even if just a little, in that moment. He opened the book.

"Once upon a time," he sighed, this should be good. As he read he noticed how sweet this little girl was, why Ven and Aqua loved her so much. He couldn't explain that draw that he now felt, but it was nice.

He was so entranced he didn't notice the one dark tendril sliding across the floor towards Yumi. Gave it little notice as it laced around her arm, up her shoulder, over her mouth.

The darkness covered Yumi, pulled on her, dragged her across the floor. Before Terra had a time to rescue her, he was trapped in the same wisps of darkness. With no voice to scream.

* * *

"Change?" Riku questioned Sora. He let his friend go to get his answer.

"Yea, I don't know Riku. It's just I like how things are and some dark scary looking place doesn't look like that much fun," Sora replied.

"But it's only scary-looking; we have no idea if it really is scary. Don't you want to find out?" Riku countered.

"Not really, but fine I'll go in there if you'll go with me tomorrow to meet the new girl," Sora wagered while wiping some sand from his nose.

"New girl?" Riku hadn't heard of anyone new.

"Yeah, I saw her once. She's got short red hair," the boy explained.

"All right," Riku finished just as Selphie motioned to get on the boat bound to leave the islet.

_And that is Chapter 3, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and have questions about what will happen next. Thank you for reading. If you have any suggestions, comments, reviews let me know. It will be greatly treasured. Until next time…_


	4. Chapter 4: The Lady of Darkness

_Chapter 4! Yay, woot woot lol another big thanks to Gingersnapsback for reviewing the last chapter and thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoy this one _

**Chapter 4: The Lady of Darkness**

Yumi desperately struggled against the dark tendrils around her.

She tugged, pulled, and twisted but the darkness didn't yield. She tried to scream but her mouth was bound. She was speechless. Again. Eventually she gave up and allowed the darkness to begin dragging her out of the den.

"No!" yelled Terra from across the room. Yumi watched him ripping violently at his own net of darkness. Terra slipped out of the tentacles' grasp and summoned his keyblade. He smirked now that he was armed; Terra began rapidly slashing through each wisp of darkness. The black spindles relented and worked on a tighter net around Yumi.

Terra jumped into the fray of black lace, cutting a path towards her.

_Slash,_ Yumi could move her right arm.

_Slash,_ now one leg was free.

_Slash_, her mouth was uncovered. Yumi tugged at the remaining tendrils and, aided by Terra, finally wriggled free.

Yumi jumped across the den over to the fireplace, Terra following close behind. She watched as he continued lashing at the darkness trying to grasp another body. The tentacles were relentless, attacking one after the other in one long assembly line, Terra barely had time to think let alone retaliate.

The brown-haired man turned and slung Yumi over his shoulder then sprinted out of the room.

The darkness followed quickly behind them. Yumi was frightened; she dug her face into Terra's brawny neck, a death grip on his shirt.

Terra was afraid too. Yumi could tell by the sporadic beat of his heart, his neck and face were blazing hot and gathering sweat. Yumi willed a glance at his face; he was staring down the hall with a slightly vacant look, strategizing his next move. They quickly came upon a T in the hall; Terra set her down from her perch on his shoulder.

"We have to find Master Eraqus, he can protect you so that I can look for Aqua and Ven," Terra stated, "Go to the left and search his study, I'll go this way," he turned and without another word burst down the hall.

Yumi followed his instructions and ran as fast as she could to the carved oak door just a few yards away.

_Sanctuary,_ she thought. When she reached the door she didn't delay herself to stop but thudded onto it and pushed herself inside.

From the marble floor of Eraqus's study Yumi took one look back and was slightly relieved to see that the darkness had gone after Terra instead of her.

"Yumi what's wrong?" Master Eraqus questioned from his desk.

Yumi stood, "Darkness…here," she managed to choke out between pants.

"What?" Eraqus asked alarmed. He glided from his chair and over to the still open door. He saw Terra battling the blackness down the hallway, the keyblade master began to look woozy.

For a moment he seemed completely bewildered and unsure. He kept glancing between Yumi then Terra then Yumi again. Finally it appeared he had made some subconscious decision.

"I'm sorry, Terra," He yelled to his apprentice struggling to push back the tendrils. Terra paused to stare at his master. They said not a word but after a moment Terra got an understanding from Master Eraqus.

"No! You can't do this!" Terra screeched and frantically ran towards the study. Master Eraqus swiftly shut the door and locked it. Now Yumi was petrified.

Master Eraqus summoned his keyblade.

"What are you doing? What's going on?" Yumi chirped, she was shaking now. Outside Yumi could hear Terra edging ever closer to the door.

"Touch my keyblade," Master Eraqus held out his keyblade to Yumi. Terra hit the door, hard. He hit it again, then again, continuously ramming it.

"What?" Yumi questioned. Now the darkness was seeping in through the cracks of the door. Terra hit the door again, his bravado act abandoned.

"Don't think just act!" Master Eraqus ordered. Terra thrust himself to the door again, nearly wringing it from its hinges.

"It wants her! Don't you see that?" Terra yelled and rammed the door another time.

"Hurry!" Eraqus pleaded.

Yumi reached out and touched the keyblade just as the darkness enveloped her and pulled her down.

Silence.

* * *

Yumi didn't know how long she had been here, wherever here was.

She was floating in darkness, all alone.

All she could think about was the others. Were they sucked into the darkness as well?

"She's finally going to be ready," an eager voice spoke through the black velvet around Yumi.

Yumi looked around trying to get a glimpse of who it was, but she found herself oddly restrained, frozen in a lying position. From the restricted movement, though, she saw no one. Yumi then tried to ask who the voice was but the darkness did not carry out the sound. She stayed quiet.

"Sometimes I question your judgment on this," another voice said, it sounded feminine rather than the first one.

"She will be ready soon, we can do nothing more with her here," the first voice, the man's voice, stated.

"Then what's next?" the woman questioned. Her echo rang through Yumi's ears and nothing replied.

_What _is_ going to happen next?_ Yumi thought to herself. The question lingered for a while but Yumi couldn't judge how long, then all of a sudden she was released from her floating place in the darkness. She fell for only a second and hit some invisible floor that held her up.

Yumi stood and looked for any indicator of which way to go. Somewhere off in the distance one glimmer of light flickered in the darkness.

Yumi didn't know where it led but she knew it was somewhere. As she got closer the light expanded and turned into a door. It was light blue and had a strange upside-down heart with a cross on top of it engraved into the sleek surface. Yumi tentatively opened it.

Behind it was more blackness, Yumi was a little disappointed but continued on.

_We waited for you, my liege. Now it's your turn to awaken_, the soundless voice from The Land of Departure called out. Yumi didn't have time to register the words before the invisible floor shattered beneath her and she was falling through darkness once more.

* * *

A dull light trickled in under Axel's eyelids.

He was so tired yet the light from the heart shaped moon was too great to give him darkness.

"Huh, we're in the realm of darkness and it's still not dark enough. What does a nobody have to do to get some shut eye?" Axel lulled. He lazily ran a hand through his fiery red hair.

"Just shut up Axel," Luxord remarked from where he leaned against the wall.

Axel sighed, "I'm just stating the obvious."

"Do you want Saïx to hurt you?" Luxord asked sardonically.

That shut him up. Axel was not about to cross paths with Saïx, not with the moon so exposed from the large window on the side of the room.

"Why did he call us to the Addled Impasse anyways?" Axel finally asked after a minute.

"I don't know," Luxord answered, exasperated by all of the youngling's questioning.

"Well all I know is he better hurry up," Axel commented sourly. Suddenly a blue and yellow claymore was at Axel's neck.

"What was that?" Saïx declared in a voice vacant of emotion from behind the red haired man.

"Nothing….Saïx," Axel yelped. He wasn't scared, he couldn't, and a nobody can't feel anything regardless. Still he knew what the emotion was like, what he should be feeling was fear at that moment.

Slowly the claymore was lowered and Axel could turn to face his superior. Saïx stood with Xigbar, who was carrying what appeared to be a teenage girl in his arms.

"Why did you call us?" Luxord asked in a slightly more respectable tone.

"I need you here when she wakes up, we have a lot of explaining to do and she must understand it in our favor," Saïx explained in monotone. Xigbar bluntly dropped the blonde-haired girl on the ground.

* * *

Yumi touched down on something cold and probably metal. Her cheek rested lightly on the surface, trying to right herself from the sensation of falling.

After an uncounted pass of time Yumi opened her eyes, but not to darkness like she'd presumed. She found herself in an immense room, with light blue and white metal forming the walls and floor. There was a huge window some feet in front of her that left a heart shaped moon unexposed.

"She's awake?" a red-headed man called somewhat startled from where he stood near one of the stone cold walls.

"Finally," another man, with an eye-patch and gray hair added dryly.

"Why did you kidnap her anyways?" the red head asked.

_Kidnapped?_ Yumi cried in her brain. She tried to move, to run away, anything to get away from her captors but found her legs to be limp and useless.

"Is she trying to _escape_?" a man with short white hair asked and walked over to the two others eyeing her carefully.

"She's doing a lousy job of it," the man with the eye-patch said then let out a hearty laugh.

"Enough," a fourth man, with blue hair spoke, Yumi couldn't see his face though. His back was turned to her and was gazing at the huge moon. "We need to speak with her now. Xigbar, sit her up."

The man with the eye patch, apparently Xigbar, stalked closer to Yumi. He held out a black gloved hand and summoned a chair from nothing it seemed. Next he picked her up and, with little resistance from Yumi, set her in the chair.

Yumi's neck drooped, she had no strength in her body anymore. Yumi then noticed the red dress she was still wearing since the day she was taken from The Land of Departure, although now it barely covered her legs. Somehow it had shrunk.

"Here's something that might help you cover up, well unless you don't want to," the red head smirked.

"Just give her the cloak, Axel," the blue haired man commanded.

Axel stepped forward trying to be playfully disappointed with his stride and dropped a black coat that looked just like the ones the four men were wearing in Yumi's lap. Yumi willed her dead arms to move. She slowly tugged on the coat, gloves, boots then rested back in her seat.

She felt a little more comfortable now that she was dressed, her mind a little more at ease.

"Now," The blue haired man turned to face her, revealing amber colored eyes near two crisscrossing scars on his face. "Yumi, do you know where you are?"

"Somewhere I've never been before," Yumi spoke carefully, how did they know her name?

The man's face did not change when she said this, his expression a constant seriousness, "You're in The Castle That Never Was, conveniently nestled in the realm of darkness and the in-between," he stated.

"In-between? Realm of Darkness?" Yumi inquired.

"Yes, whatever sorry little world you came from was in the realm of light, but there are other places hidden in the darkness, the realm of in-between being one of them. It is a line dividing the light from dark, there are no worlds just…nothing," The man explained. He inched one step closer to Yumi.

"Why did you bring me here?" Yumi shrieked, petrified of the mysterious man sidling towards her.

"We only use nobodies, but Xemnas made an exception," the man stated.

"Who's Xemnas? What are nobodies? What do you use them for?" Yumi's mind was whirling with questions.

"Oy," Axel sighed.

The blue haired man showed no notice to Axel's sarcasm, "Luxord care to explain?"

"Certainly, Saïx," the man with white hair replied and stepped forward. "Nobodies are beings of an empty shell, they have nothing and are nothing. They come about when humans of strong hearts become heartless, the body left behind begins to move on its own." Luxord spoke with the slight hint of an accent slurring his tone.

"What are heartless?" Yumi asked.

"They are creatures from the darkness that live to steal human hearts," Luxord continued.

"Oh, you mean the unversed?" Yumi guessed. Something Yumi said hit home with Xigbar, he jumped and almost lost his footing when she mentioned the unversed.

"All the unversed were exterminated a long time ago," Luxord stated with a half-smile on his lips.

"What? But I saw them, they destroyed my home!" Yumi yelled, she was extremely confused, she tried to move her arms again but they still were exhausted.

"She has been wandering the darkness that long? Did you know that?" Xigbar questioned Saïx.

"How long? What's going on? I was only in the darkness for a few hours or days, right?" Yumi asked, afraid of the answer.

"Yes, Xigbar, I knew I've searched for her almost that long," he replied.

"How was she not consumed by it? Ten years is a long time," Xigbar stated further.

"Ten years? I've been gone for ten years?" Yumi felt faint, what happened to her?

"Because she controls all darkness," Saïx answered.

"What? I've never used darkness," Yumi argued trying to get their attention.

"You've been asleep, how could you?" Saïx spoke his rhetoric towards Yumi but kept a dull stare on Xigbar.

The words of the two voices, the man and woman, were brought back to her mind.

"Welcome to our side, cupcake," Axel shot a devil's grin to her. Yumi couldn't believe what was happening. Every fiber of her being told her no, she wasn't evil, she wasn't a part of the darkness, but these men were convinced she was.

A hidden power Yumi had never felt before stirred inside of her. It grew and flowed out of her, Yumi welcomed the strength. Rings of light burst from her hands that knocked over the four men, with them handicapped for the moment Yumi ran. She planned to find a way out of the castle and use the power that had caused those rings of light against anyone and everyone that stood in her way.

But the power ceased within a moment and Yumi swooned, just barely after she had escaped.

* * *

A man sat in front of five computer screens blinking with code on the subject's progress. He was so focused it took him a while to notice a silver-haired boy enter the room.

"I know you don't like coming to see me anymore, but you're the only one I can ask to do this. But, I won't turn to look at you," the man said, he heard the boy inch forward a few steps confirming he would carry out this favor. Suddenly sweat dribbled underneath the red gauze he wore over his face, it took everything in him to not turn around and see what he caused on this teenager.

"There is a girl, a girl that the Organization wants for themselves. And they're going to do anything to get her to join them. I need you to "liberate" her from their Castle, bring her here and then I'll find some way to send her to a safe-place," he finished, his voice tight.

The boy finally spoke then, "How will this help Sora?"

"There is nothing more we can do for Sora at the moment, his progress is slow but when the time comes I will have more for you to do. This is to keep the Organization setback for a little while," the man answered.

"I'll leave now to rescue her." The boy turned and ran from the dark room.

"Riku…" the man mumbled then resumed his task.

* * *

It only took a moment for Yumi to recover from the sudden drainage of energy. She sat up on the metal floor but did not have the strength to run anymore. She searched for the power that had surged only seconds ago but it had disappeared from within her.

"Axel bring in Roxas for me, when he gets here Xigbar I want you to help him take her down to the dungeon. And Luxord, go inform Xemnas that our guest refused the offer to join the Organization," Saïx commanded, trying to compose his bewildered subordinates.

Axel and Luxord nodded and trekked out of the room. Once their backs were turned to the man Yumi saw the slightest hint of relief cross their faces. They burst from the room, away from their sinister superior.

"How are you so evil?" Yumi screeched, she had never encountered such uncapped darkness before, even when she had met the unversed.

Saïx looked to her with a serious expression, "Because, I'm a nobody. And because of that I have no emotion, no remorse, no heart. But, I'm living." He stood and dusted himself off, pleased with what he said.

"But I've seen the unversed, they look nothing like humans, I had assumed nobodies were the same," Yumi added bluntly. Saïx smirked a little, Yumi wondered how that was not counted as emotion.

"Most don't look like us. They only poorly resemble humans. But, my heart was very strong, as was Xigbar's, Luxord's, and Axel's. However, we all got mixed up in the darkness and our human selves were lost. Somehow our leader, Xemnas, found us and gave us new names than the ones our somebodies held. He brought us here, initiated us into his Organization of powerful nobodies. There are thirteen of us now." Saïx explained sparingly. Yumi knew there was more to the story but knew better than to ask this man.

"What do you need Saïx?" someone entered the room behind Yumi. She turned to see…

…Ven…

Time stopped around her. Ven was alive, he'd found her even in this dark realm.

"Ventus!" Yumi squealed, she forced herself to jump up and pulled him into a grappling hug. She was so elated to see her friend all right.

"Who is Ventus?" he said into her ear.

Yumi immediately pulled back, "But you look just like him, don't you remember me Ven?" Yumi was seriously baffled that he didn't remember her.

Suddenly Xigbar's hand was pulled tightly over Yumi's mouth, "Don't listen to her, this girl has been babbling on since she awoke, that's why we need to take her down to the dungeon before Xemnas decides what he wants to do. I'll need your help taking her down there, Roxas, she's already tried to escape twice."

"All right," the Ven look alike answered then lead the way from the room.

_Who's Roxas?_ Yumi asked inside her head.

Not another word was spoken as the group walked through white metal hallways, passing an endless amount of doors while they meandered through. Finally Roxas brought them to a black metal area with cells lining the walls.

He unlocked one of them, the metal shrieking from years of unused hinges. Xigbar pushed Yumi inside it and slammed the door behind her.

"Enjoy your stay at the Castle That Never Was. We'll be back eventually for you, in the meantime," Xigbar turned his eyes to look into the dark cage next to Yumi's, "You have a prison mate to play with," He smirked then sauntered away.

Roxas didn't turn to leave, though, he lingered in the dungeon.

"There's something about you," Roxas stared intently on her. Yumi was about to burst into tears, she hated this boy for appearing so much like Ven, "that I recognize." He kept his gaze for one more moment then left.

Suddenly the loss she felt for her friend was too much for Yumi to handle, she lay her head down and sobbed.

What felt like hours later, Yumi finally stopped crying. Her face felt swollen and she was tired, but she had let out the emotion she needed to. There was something almost noble about the act since this place was filled with beings that couldn't feel.

"You shouldn't cry like that, especially not here," a voice called from the cell next to her.

"What? Who's there?" Yumi yelped, suddenly frightened.

"My name is Riku. I'm here to save you," the voice sounded male, Yumi looked intently into the dark trying to see Riku.

"I'm not sure if you noticed, but you're stuck in here just like me. The Organization caught you, how could you think you could save me from them," Yumi replied, suddenly angry, she turned her back on the invisible boy.

Riku let out a soft laugh, "Trust me if I was really trying to sneak in here the Organization would never catch me. I _wanted_ them to find me."

"But why?" Yumi asked.

"Because I knew you'd be here," the boy replied curtly.

Yumi turned around again, "How do you know who I am?"

"I was sent to come save you, does it matter by who? I'd take the opportunity to escape if I were you regardless of who it was," Riku answered sardonically.

"Being defenseless doesn't give me much leeway to be careless," Yumi said just as dryly.

"True, but trust me on this," Riku asked.

Someone entered the prison, which cut the dialogue short. Yumi watched the cloaked form tread over to Yumi's cell and open it.

"C'mon," Roxas said. He held out a hand and helped Yumi out of the cell.

"So there still are gentlemen in the Organization, I thought that trait was discarded when your kind's hearts were stolen," Riku spoke from his cage.

"I wouldn't be so smug if I were you," Roxas replied, though the words were meant to be harsh there was little fire behind them. Roxas didn't have much to object with.

He was still holding Yumi's hand when he led her away from Riku and back into the metal halls. They climbed a few levels and came to a completely white room. Roxas led her to a chair then left the room without a word.

Yumi sighed trying to calm her nerves, the longer she was in this castle the more scared she got.

The quiet didn't last long, though, before a menacing looking man with white hair strode into the room. Yumi looked into the man's caramel-colored eyes, she knew this man. Somehow she had met him somewhere, the name escaped her but he was so familiar.

"We need to reach an agreement," he said and regally sat in a chair on the other side of the room, "But let's begin with my name. Xemnas."

Maybe Yumi had been mistaken, at least she thought she had met this man before.

"What is it that we need to agree on, Xemnas?" Yumi asked, trying to sound friendly. At least for now.

"I want to offer you a membership in our humble Organization. I see you've already dressed in our uniform, hopefully you find it to your liking," Xemnas began, speaking eloquently, but his words boiled up some energy in Yumi, a revulsion to the darkness within him.

"I apologize but I am not interested in your _humble_ organization," Yumi addressed the leader with a cold tone, a slight twinge of anger flickered through his eyes but for only a moment, the nobody recomposed himself and stood.

"No, I apologize to you Miss Yumi, for resistance is not permitted against the Organization," Xemnas stated simply. He took a step forward and reached a hand into his cloak.

"Then it's not much of an invitation is it?" Yumi commented with acid on her tongue.

Xemnas let out a sigh, then elegantly pulled a syringe from its hiding place in his clothing. Yumi gusted out a gasp, apprehensive as to what was going to happen next. Xemnas continued on toward her, restrained her arms and thrust the syringe into her neck.

* * *

_I hope Yumi returns soon so I can leave this place,_ Riku thought as he began to doze off. The cell wall was cold on his back, but calming in a way he couldn't explain.

He closed his eyes for a moment but then heard the jangling of keys in the distance, the sound came closer and put itself in the lock on his cell. The door opened while Riku's eyes were still tightly shut.

"Wake up," a familiar voice said to him. Riku opened his eyes in an instant to see Roxas standing at the now open cell door.

"What do you want?" Riku asked sourly.

"Yumi is speaking with Xemnas now, but that won't last long. If she refuses to join the Organization he is planning on drugging her so that she will agree to anything," Roxas said, his face grim. Riku jumped onto his feet.

"She's in trouble? So you're letting me out to save her?" Riku inquired.

"Well nobody has to know you were let out, and I can't rescue her from Xemnas, he's got her alone in one of our white rooms three levels up," Roxas added. Riku was already heading out of the dungeon.

On his way out he paused for a second and asked one more question, "Why are you helping her?"

"I'm not sure, but there's just something about her," Roxas said losing his thought in a daze. Riku didn't wait for him to figure out what that something was, he summoned his keyblade and sprinted through the castle. He ran up the stairs and miraculously found the room Yumi was in with Xemnas.

He hesitated outside the door, his hand wavering on the handle. Riku heard Xemnas whispering something.

"You have control over all darkness, you will wield this gift," Xemnas was repeating that over and over, and Yumi wasn't replying.

_She must be drugged now, but what is he talking about her control over darkness?_ Riku thought. He shook off his hesitation then jumped into the room.

Xemnas certainly wasn't expecting Riku to enter, he looked up in bewilderment from where he stood next to Yumi, who was barely conscious in her seat. She stagnantly moved her head, somehow knew that she was being rescued and began thrashing at Xemnas. That gave Riku plenty of time to unleash some devastating blows on the nobody.

The man recovered quickly but didn't counterattack, instead he opened a corridor of darkness and fizzled away. Only his commanded last words stayed.

"Xigbar, finish off the boy and bring the girl to me," Xemnas's voice said then his presence was replaced by the Organization's number two.

"Well, well, well. The little boy escaped his cage, we can fix that," Xigbar stated when he entered from another corridor of darkness. Riku grasped tightly on his keyblade and charged at his opponent.

* * *

Although her vision was blurred Yumi could see Xigbar battling a silver-haired boy with a blindfold concealing his eyes, Xigbar shot some blurry darts of pulsating light at the adversary. Yumi didn't know if that was Riku or whoever, but if they were strong enough to fight the Organization Yumi was going to help.

She pushed her body up from the chair, nearly passing out when doing so, and looked for something to use as a weapon.

Yumi's neck throbbed from the syringe wound. Her body felt fluid, but somehow she kept herself level. Suddenly a sharp pain reverberated through her leg. Yumi looked down, through the black patches clouding her vision Yumi saw one of the light darts embedded in her calf.

Yumi reached down and pulled it out, grimacing at the horrible pain it caused. She inspected the object closer, it was an oversized bullet.

"Huh, maybe I should just end this now," Xigbar yelled from across the room and ran towards Yumi. He pointed one purple shooter on Yumi's stomach.

Yumi almost passed out, her stomach churned from fear. The tip of one of the metal bullets pushed on her stomach.

Riku dropped his stance, "Don't."

Xigbar smiled an angry grin, his finger firmly pressed on the trigger. Yumi clenched her fists, she was so sick of these people forcing her to do what they wished. She was tired of them telling her who she was.

"If I have control of all darkness, so be it," Yumi clenched her teeth as she spat the words to Xigbar, "But I will never follow your Organization, and I will do everything in my power to destroy it!"

Power rose in Yumi again, her senses sprang to life, light sparks danced around her gloved hands.

And a glowing gold keyblade burst into them.

"Now she's a keyblader?" Xigbar shrieked and jumped away from the reach of her blade. Yumi was startled as well, but the moment passed and she took a fighting stance.

Yumi lunged forward, dodging bullets, and crashed her keyblade on Xigbar's shoulder. The nobody veered back in pain from the blow, Yumi hit his side. Again the man was falling backwards.

He grasped at his rib cage, breathing deeply, trying to recover. Yumi hit him with a combo of attacks, Xigbar finally fell over.

"You…you're…you were supposed to be drugged," Xigbar said from his limp position on the floor.

Yumi let her keyblade disappear in a flash of light and stood over the dark man, "I was." Then Yumi turned to face the boy.

"Who are you?" Yumi asked.

For a moment he said nothing, he just looked at Yumi, well she hoped he was looking at her, she couldn't tell where his eyes were looking behind the blindfold. The boy stayed silent as he burst around Yumi and hit Xigbar's back, the man fell unconscious.

"My name is Riku," he said from over his shoulder. Yumi smiled, she recognized the voice from the cell. "We have to leave now," Riku said but didn't leave the room, he picked up the now empty syringe from the floor and put it into his own Organization cloak.

Yumi nodded her consent and followed Riku out of the Castle.

Riku brought her to a blue glowing bridge at the bottom level of the Castle that Never Was.

"This thing is floating?" Yumi cried in astonishment. Riku said not a word but continued down the bridge. Yumi followed in silence. They were heading to a shadowed town of black skyscrapers, neon lights coated the buildings but released little illumination to the overshadowing darkness.

"The World That Never Was," Riku remarked and ran faster through the winding streets. Eventually, though, he thudded to a stop.

"Why is it so dark in this place? It's sickening," Yumi stated as her pulse finally began to slow.

Riku turned his back to her, still breathing hard, "It's the realm of Darkness, what would you expect?" his words were dull, a strange tension pulled at his tone.

Yumi didn't know how to object to that she closed her mouth. Yumi pulled off the gloves to inspect her hands when something moving flatly on the ground caught her eye, it was black and moving quickly towards Riku.

"Look out!" Yumi yelled as the form sprung up from the ground and lunged at Riku. Riku gave it little notice, he slashed his keyblade through its tiny body, it disappeared in a wisp of black smoke and a heart floated up to the heart-shaped moon.

Others of the same kind rose up from the ground, their blank yellow eyes glowing.

"All right, talk. Now," Yumi said to Riku as she summoned her golden keyblade.

Riku kept his guard on the defensive, waiting for one of the creatures to begin the battle, "All right, I'll talk," he said not looking towards Yumi, "Once you tell me why you have the Ultima Weapon."

* * *

Xigbar's muscles shook as he tried to find the strength to stand.

_That girl battered me up good_, Xigbar thought coldly. He pushed himself harder and was able to stand and limp his way through a corridor of darkness.

When he reentered, he was standing on the Altar of Naught. One lonely figure stood alone watching Kingdom Hearts being fed one more heart from somewhere in the World That Never Was.

"Xemnas," Xigbar bowed in reverence. The figure turned.

"Yes?" Xemnas asked.

"The girl has escaped, with Riku. And she has a keyblade now," Xigbar stated when he raised his head. Xemnas's countenance did not change, although the news was unpleasant he could not feel anything.

"We must get her back," Xemnas stated plainly.

"May I ask why? I mean if she controls all darkness she will lose herself to it someday, why must we have her now?" Xigbar asked.

"Come over here," Xemnas said then motioned for Xigbar to stand next to him on the tower. "Look into the ravine under the castle."

Xigbar did what his leader asked, he looked down and saw an entire army of nobodies kneeling at the bottom of the ravine, a sea of white in a dark world.

"Where did they come from?" Xigbar asked.

"I don't know but they won't follow me, they continue sitting there. They are nothing like the others," Xemnas replied, "But we could do so much with them, I thought the Lady of Darkness could force them to follow me, that's why we need her."

Xigbar and Xemnas looked on to the army.

_We are waiting, my liege._ A dusk kneeling at the front of the horde said soundlessly.

_We'll always be waiting…_

_And that is the end of the fourth chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. There was so much I had to explain in this chapter, it's my longest yet. 23 pages on a Microsoft word document! Anyways, I would love to hear from you so please review. Thanks so much for reading. Until next time…_


	5. Chapter 5: Genesis

_I'm so sorry this is late, everytime I tried to upload it said it was an error, but it was just fixed so hopefully the content is worth waiting for :) Now it's time for Chapter 5! I'm so excited, I hope you enjoy and a big thank you goes out to ThekeeperofKingdomHearts1 and Gingersnapsback for reviewing the last chapter (I give you a virtual hug) Thanks again. Now here's the story…_

**Chapter 5: Genesis**

"Okay well, I'm not sure why I have the Ultima Weapon," Yumi whispered to Riku. Riku smirked then propelled himself at the first shadow. It disappeared in to black smoke.

"Now what are these things?" Yumi asked, her golden eyes shaded by the darkness all around them. Riku turned to see her slashing at the other shadows with a wicked ferocity.

"They're called the heartless," Riku stated then lunged at a shadow lurking too close to Yumi's back. In one powerful stroke the heartless was gone. Riku thrust his blade in to another's stomach; it dissipated and released a stolen heart that floated up to the moon.

"These creatures steal human hearts," Yumi commented in understanding, she gripped her weapon tighter, "Time to put a stop to that." She danced around the dark beings, destroying them as she passed by. Riku allowed her to take point and watched her back as she elegantly impaled the shadows.

Yumi cut through another one then said, "Heartless steal hearts. Now tell me about nobodies."

"Well, that's to be determined," Riku stated as he destroyed a horde of the heartless, "Little is known about them, just that they're an empty shell that can't feel."

"That helps," Yumi added sardonically, "The group of thirteen nobodies filled me in already." Yumi pushed back some shadows that tried to claw at her side.

"Is that what they told you? That they still have thirteen members?" Riku remarked Yumi took one moment to flash a puzzled expression to him, "An…incident...," Riku slightly chuckled at the word, "occurred earlier this summer, almost half of them were destroyed."

Riku stood behind Yumi and slashed through the final heartless.

Yumi smiled then dismissed her keyblade into a burst of light. Riku followed suit.

"I had imagined they'd be stronger," Yumi stated while turning to look at the silver-haired boy.

"Well shadows are some of the weakest of the heartless, there are some that are much bigger. And much stronger. _Don't _let your guard down, or you will be destroyed," Riku added somberly. He turned his back to Yumi, looking for which direction to take next.

Riku took a deep breath through his nose to clear his mind. A familiar smell was laced in the air that sent all of Riku's nerves on alert.

He turned and grabbed Yumi's wrist tightly and began running away from it in a panic.

"What's wrong?" Yumi squealed as she was dragged along.

"Berserkers, they're headed this way. They are a species of nobodies that Saïx controls, which means he can't be far behind either," Riku answered frantically and pulled Yumi faster.

_If we run in to Sa__ï__x now we won't have a chance, _was all Riku could think about. He desperately searched for any means of escape. Some place he could run and hide and think. He thudded his feet across the dark ground, trying to distance himself from the powerful nobodies heading straight for them but the faster he went the closer they seemed to get.

The stench was overwhelming.

Memory's skyscraper was coming up, though; many roads branched off of the area.

_Many places to escape_, Riku thought thankfully. He practically leaped into the plaza, and finally released Yumi's wrist from his death grip.

She kept silent, allowing Riku to compose himself.

He took another tentative breath, relaxing slightly when the smell abated a little, and tried to recall the map of the World That Never Was he had formulated from many other trips within the dark realm.

"You can't keep running like this," someone said from the shadows surrounding the skyscraper. Slowly the recognizable form of Roxas crept out from his shroud. "It's not enough, you have to get out."

"Roxas? What are you doing here?" Riku snarled, he summoned his keyblade. Anger boiling inside him, Riku took one step forward, but Yumi rushed to stand between him and Roxas.

"Calm down, we don't have time for this," Yumi's gold eyes were pleading, Riku lowered his blade hesitantly.

"Then what do you suggest?" Riku looked down submissively as he said this. He did not want to ask advice from this nobody; he had already taken so much from his friend, half of a being to be exact.

Roxas stepped closer before answering, "Yumi, did you know that there are special corridors that connect worlds together?" Roxas stared at the silver-haired boy smugly, he was attempting to be angry, but pseudo-emotions were not enough to suffice. "And Riku has the power to open up these passages."

"Corridors?" Yumi finally spoke; she looked between the two boys astonishingly.

"No!" Riku moved toward Roxas, barreling past Yumi, "I won't use that power. Those are corridors of _darkness_. I won't use it."

The smell was growing closer again.

"Then I'll take her to safety, I do have the same power," Roxas smiled, a fake innocence. He stretched one gloved hand out to Yumi.

Riku balled his fists and tried to pull back his frustration, "You will stay away from me and her, or so help me I'll strike you down." He summoned his keyblade once more, assuming a defensive stance in front of Yumi. Although unwillingly Riku then called upon the corridors of darkness, as expected it opened right in front of him.

Yumi silently stood beside Riku, her eyes averted to the ground. He didn't like what he said, and he knew she didn't either, but Roxas would not stop trying to pull her from his task if he hadn't been so harsh.

"Just step inside, it will take us to safety, I-" _I promise_ is how he wanted to finish but the words died in his throat. He sensed Yumi wasn't interested in the sliver of kindness either; she jumped inside showing no signs of hesitation.

Riku began to step into the portal.

"I hate you so much," Roxas spat at Riku.

Riku smirked, ready to finish this, "Nobodies can't feel, not even hatred." The words were clipped, short. He wanted to give the nobody something to think about. Riku smirked as he turned back around, settling into the hatred that was most comfortable for him to act on.

And stalked off into the corridor of darkness.

Roxas lingered in the pale glow from memory's skyscraper. With a flick of his hand he summoned his keyblade.

"I know my memories are a little shaky," Roxas grimaced as he once again tried to remember, "But her death, you had a part in it. That's all I need to know to avenge her."

* * *

"Where are we going?" Yumi called out to the darkness.

"Somewhere we can get a gummi ship," Riku stated from behind her. She couldn't see the boy in the corridor, the only indicator of where he was standing was the body heat rolling off him.

Yumi looked down, humming to a familiar tune that she so loved. The sound filled the air, Yumi thought she could see sparks of light bursting in the distance, but sided against it and continued on.

"I'm sorry for being so harsh with Roxas, I didn't want to be," Riku was beginning an apology. Yumi smiled slightly, being careful not to let Riku see.

"It's fine," Yumi answered curtly, she didn't mind what he'd said, just that it felt like he was talking down to her, making her decisions of who to side with for her. Just like Ven did, but that decision to go against him led her here, Yumi wasn't going to get angry at someone wanting to protect her ever again.

Suddenly Riku's hand pulled her gently to a stop.

"We need to exit here," somehow Riku opened up a portal out of the corridor. Yumi took one tentative look at Riku then jumped out through the portal.

Blinding sunlight clouded her vision the moment she hit the ground.

Yumi rested there as she tried to let her eyes adjust. Riku walked out behind her then closed the Corridor of Darkness.

"First objective is to get a gummi ship, second, is to get you to safety," Riku said. Yumi pushed herself up, standing erect.

"Safety?" She rubbed her elbows; they ached from when she hit the cobblestone street.

"Yes," Riku answered bluntly, "A friend of mine he'll find a place for you to hide out until all this is finished."

_All this? _Yumi questioned in her mind.

Yumi closed her eyes, about to oblige when the shadows of her friends flared in her memories.

"No," Yumi stated curtly. Riku turned around to look at her.

"What?" Riku's mouth hung open.

"I'm sorry, but I have friends. Friends that need me, wherever they are, I have to find them," Yumi looked intently into Riku's blindfold, desperately trying to see the faint outline of his eyes.

Riku was silent for a moment.

"When did you become," he spoke very carefully, "so much like him?"

"So much like whom?" Yumi asked, rather confused.

"Nothing it's not important," Riku turned back around and started walking.

"All right…so what are we doing now?" Yumi said. She turned to face their surroundings, attempting to make light of the tense air, however there was not much to see. The thatched-roof shops were in shambles, the concrete ledges and streets were rubble. Yumi grimaced; something about this place pulled her memory to her own world, just before it was…

"This is Hollow Bastion," Riku stated awful sourly. Yumi returned her gaze back to the boy; he was grimacing as he continued forward. Perhaps some unpleasant memories for him were connected to this place too.

"Here we're getting a gummi ship, then I'll help you find your friends," Yumi detected the slightest hint of sorrow in his voice.

"I'm sorry," Yumi stated swiftly then turned away. Riku kept walking, his back facing her, again.

"You did nothing wrong," he said from over his shoulder, then spoke a little more warmly to her, "You really shouldn't wear that coat, you don't want to affiliate yourself with the Organization."

Yumi looked down at the dark cloak, "I guess not." She smiled brightly.

"I'm sure these shops are open now," Riku stated then confidently strode to the armory store, Yumi trailing behind.

A little duck with a red cap sat by the register, "Hello, my name's Hewey, can I help you?" he said in a cute voice.

"She needs different clothes, and for…free…" Riku replied, a little sheepishly.

_So out of character from the confidence he usually radiates_, Yumi thought casually.

"No munny!" Hewey shrieked he slammed his wings onto the counter for emphasis, "I'm sorry but we don't have anything for free. We need munny to help rebuild our shop."

Suddenly another duck in green burst from the back of the shop with a box of tattered clothing, he hummed contentedly until he noticed Hewey eyeing him.

"Louie what are you doing?" Hewey sighed.

"Just throwing this box out, these clothes are old, we can't sell 'em," Louie said while patting the box then continued on his way.

"Wait," Riku yelled, he held out his hand, "Do you mind if we take a look?"

Louie smiled, "Of course not, take whatever you want!" He hurried back to where Yumi and Riku stood.

"But-but," Hewey stuttered, "Now wait, that is technically still our property, you'll have to pay for that!"

"No they don't," yet another duck, dressed in blue, slapped Hewey on the back of his head.

"Yeowch!" Hewey rubbed his head, "Dewey that hurt!"

Dewey put his hands on his hips, "Well that's what you get for trying to charge them, you're acting just like Uncle Scrooge!"

"Ugh, whatever!" Hewey yelled back, "Fine. They can have the box I give up," Hewey sighed then trudged through the back door of the shop.

Dewey and Louie both chuckled; Yumi couldn't help but join in as well.

"Now is there anything else you might need?" Dewey asked while jumping down from the counter to stand next to Louie.

"Well," Riku said while inspecting the contents of the box, "Do you have any spare armor, not much, just a little muscle for safety."

"Oh, I have a pair of gauntlets in the back!" Louie gushed then ran back into the shop.

"Go on, pick something," Dewey chided towards Yumi, his bright eyes sparkling to her.

"Okay," Yumi answered then reached inside the box. She quickly found a blue strapless top and a pair of Khaki shorts. There were also cream-colored stockings and brown boots, though a little worn they looked tough.

"I found 'em!" Louie squealed when he returned, "I also discovered an old leather belt in the back too!" The little duck held up his finds proudly.

Yumi took the pieces into her delicate hands, "Thank you," she smiled then kissed Louie on his forehead.

"And you too!" Yumi added and turned to look at Dewey, she kissed his forehead as well. They began some idle chatter over the clothing until the sound of the shop's door opening and closing made them all look up.

"Ummm…this isn't much but I thought you might like it," Hewey said sheepishly then crept out from behind the counter, he kept his eyes low to the ground guiltily.

Yumi smiled; in his hands was a simple red ribbon. Hewey, still looking away held it up to Yumi.

She took it and caressed it in her grasp, "Thank you so much!" Yumi cooed then kissed the duck on the forehead just like the other two. Hewey raised his head and smiled brightly; he jumped up and down excitedly then skipped to stand next to Dewey and Louie. Yumi giggled again.

"You might want to get changed now," Riku said in a serious tone, Yumi had barely noticed that he had been silent throughout the exchange with the three ducks. Yumi nodded then walked into one of the make-shift changing booths Hewey, Dewey, and Louie had set up.

The booth was just behind the counter and was made up of some boxes stacked on either side and a curtain hung between them. The air inside it was muggy, most likely from lack of air flow, seconds after Yumi stepped inside she began to sweat.

She quickly shed the black coat, and was left in her little red dress again. She took that off as well, remembering the sweet blue-haired woman that had given it to her.

_I wonder where she is now_, Yumi thought. She reflexively touched her hair where the comb should have been. Yumi frowned when her hand only touched her hair, great, she lost it.

_If only I'd listened to Ven_.

Yumi shook off the remorse long enough to finish dressing then walked back into the store.

"What do you guys think?" Yumi asked when she returned to her friends huddled outside.

Hewey, Dewey, and Louie gave her a huge thumbs up and smiled. Yumi smiled back then looked to Riku.

"Nice," Riku smirked then pushed himself up from the cobblestones.

"Don't you need a new outfit too?" Louie asked he cocked his neck to look up at the looming boy.

"No, I'm fine," a ghost of a smile crossed his lips then he began to walk away.

"Bye guys, I hope you get your shop rebuilt," Yumi waved and rushed to catch up with Riku.

"Wait. Please," Yumi said, she held up one frail hand willing Riku to stop. He turned slightly to watch her walk to the edge of one crumbled concrete ledges, she tossed the wretched black coat over the side. Yumi stared as it floated down into the abyss.

"You should have kept it," Riku spoke exasperated from beside her, "That cloak has a magic ability to guard your heart from darkness."

"Oh," Yumi looked down, blood rushed to her cheeks. She was disappointed, she had messed up again. A gloved hand reached for her chin and raised her head.

"Don't do that," Riku stated, his face was deep-set and serious. The boy let go of her chin just as quickly as he had grasped it and continued on through the market.

Yumi followed the boy in silence while they passed the remainder of shops and even a large freezer that looked to be filled with ice-cream.

Suddenly a shadow popped up from the ground, its blank yellow eyes glared at Yumi. She quickly summoned Ultima Weapon and charged, angrily slashing through the grotesque being.

There was another stalking a few feet away from her, she dismembered that one as well.

"Ouch!" Yumi shrieked, a shadow had snuck up behind her and clawed her side. Riku's keyblade came from nowhere and beheaded the creature.

"Always watch your back," the silver-haired boy scolded then turned to face other heartless. These resembled the shadows but were in armor and had blood red claws.

Yumi charged with Riku towards the creatures. One powerful stroke and Yumi battered one heartless's armor, another hit and it disappeared in black smoke, a pink heart released from its body and floated away.

She turned just as a shadow jumped through the air towards her. Yumi held up her blade to block, the heartless land squarely on top of it. Yumi jerked her weapon out from under it then sunk Ultima Weapon into the shadow's dark flesh, it disappeared.

Then Yumi saw Riku chopping skillfully through the last of the heartless swarm. She sighed then let her keyblade go back to wherever it came from within another burst of light.

Riku finished off the heartless and sauntered over to Yumi, keyblade still in hand. Yumi watched as he sniffed the air.

"They're gone," Riku stated then turned to face her, "Are you all right?"

Yumi looked at the scratch-marks the shadow had left on her side; although the gashes were deep she wasn't bleeding.

"I'm fine," Yumi grinned at the boy.

"I had wondered why the heartless hordes were getting bigger, I guess now we know," a brown haired man with a scar slashed between his eyes walked around the corner. He was rather tall and had a strange looking blade that resembled a gun. The man wasn't alone, a blond-haired man, about the same height and age, was standing beside him. The blond one was dressed in all black and held the biggest sword Yumi had ever seen, the blade was wrapped in gauze.

"Keyblades are attracting them," said the man with the gun-blade, his eyes narrowed towards Riku. He tried to lunge at the boy, his blade gripped tightly with both hands, but the blond stopped him.

"Leon, I know this guy," he said. The brunette let down his weapon.

"How?" Leon questioned still gazing somewhat suspiciously at the silver-haired boy.

"We met in a Coliseum tournament earlier in the summer, just before I broke free from Hades," he continued.

Leon let out a _humph!_ And put up his blade, "Is he friendly?"

"I'm on your side," Riku finally spoke and stepped closer to the squabbling men, "Long time no see Cloud." Riku smirked at the blond.

"Yea," Cloud gave a half smile then put up his huge weapon. Leon finally loosened up his defensive stance and turned his attentions to Yumi.

"Who's the girl?" he asked dryly.

"Her name's Yumi, I was sent to protect her from the Organization," Riku answered and motioned for Yumi to come closer. She obliged and took three careful steps forward. Yumi couldn't help notice that as she did this Cloud inconspicuously sidled backwards and slightly behind Leon. The blond appeared to be wincing.

"Hm, another girl, I'm sure Aerith and Yuffie will be ecstatic," Leon joked and chuckled a little.

"What do you mean?" Riku inquired.

"Well, ever since Maleficent left we have been hard at work organizing a restoration committee here so people can return. We haven't started yet so it's still pretty much a ghost town," Leon folded his arms over his chest, "Yuffie is always complaining that there isn't anything to do, and being one of the only two girls on this world at the moment. She gets rather bored, Aerith is the same way but she's too polite to complain."

"So why are you guys here?" Cloud asked from over Leon's shoulder.

"We're looking for a gummi ship; do you think Cid has one?" Riku answered.

"I'm sure we can get you something, c'mon we'll take you to our headquarters at Merlin's house," Cloud finished then took the lead through the winding streets of the destroyed residential district. Leon followed second, then Riku, and Yumi followed last.

Yumi smiled, it was so warm here, and the sun was shining. Yumi had forgotten how much she loved the sun after going through all the trauma in the World That Never Was. She looked up into the beautiful blue sky, a sea of blue, not one cloud.

_The Land of Departure had a sky like this_, Yumi thought. Suddenly she frowned; she missed that mountainous world so much. She wished she could return there and be happy with her friends, but Yumi had the strangest feeling it would never be like that again.

_Ventus, Yumi has been lost to the darkness_, Terra's voice rang through her head. Yumi looked around expectantly, but saw no Terra or Ventus, just Leon, Cloud, and Riku still walking before her. Yumi still searched, a sliver of hope erupting in her heart.

Finally her eyes rested on the remains of what looked like a castle in the distance. It was huge and purple, with many pipes twisting around the walls. There was something familiar about this castle, she felt as if Ven had looked upon this same castle as well.

Pain ruptured through Yumi's body, grief spilled from her heart and flowed through her entire form. Her emotions manifested into physical pain, Yumi fell to the ground grasping at her stomach and whimpering.

She heard the three men's startled cries and attempts to make her respond to them, but they seemed so far off, this pain was here and it made Yumi writhe. She let out a shriek of pain, then saw her environment completely change around her.

Now she was back on the Land of Departure, not physically but it was like a dream or a memory, and she was simply a spectator.

She knew she was looking in the Palace den, the place where she had spent so many evenings with her dear friends. Aqua was sitting on the couch, her face looked as if she'd seen a ghost, Terra stood in the threshold, hand crossed over his chest and eyebrows scrunched in frustration. But it was Ven who caught Yumi's eye the most. He was in the middle of the floor on his knees, his face full of despair.

"No," he said, "No! No! No!"

Ven eyes were glassy, he appeared to be the only one allowing his emotions to run wild.

"She couldn't! You should have been protecting her!" Ven snapped at Terra.

"You think I didn't!" Terra screeched, he flailed his arms angrily, "I did everything I could! I don't hate her!"

"But you stopped protecting her when Master Eraqus decided to make her his successor," Ven stated, his voice tight. He looked down at his empty hands somberly.

"I'm a peace-keeper! How could I allow him to give a keyblade to the Lady of Darkness! Which I ended up being right about that!" Terra yelled. He stepped closer to Ven in his fury, his face contorting into a scowl.

Ven looked up, tears in his eyes, "Why do you hate her so much?" he yelled back.

This made Terra stop, he cringed and stepped quickly backwards, "Don't say that! Don't do that! I didn't hate her! I-I didn't!" Terra continued back ready to turn and burst from the room.

"I don't hate her! I don't!" was all Terra kept screaming as he ran down the familiar hallways. The image then blurred from Yumi's view.

* * *

Riku took in a deep breath, he tried to ignore Yumi's screams from across the room.

He couldn't understand what had happened, he just turned around and Yumi was yelling in pain. Cloud and Leon helped him carry her to Merlin's house and set her on the bed. He had given the syringe to Merlin so he could identify the remainder of the poison, Riku suspected her writhing was from a delayed reaction.

And that's how they wait now.

Everyone waited inside Merlin's house. Riku was watching Cid occupy himself at the computer, Yuffie was cleaning her huge ninja stars, Merlin inspected the syringe closely, Aerith was making some tea, Leon was making plans on a chalkboard on the far side of the room, and Cloud was leaning against the door with his eyes closed. All were attempting to ignore Yumi's insistent shrieks.

"Here," Aerith said maternally and held out a porcelain cup of tea.

"Thanks," Riku replied and took the cup from Aerith's hands. He cradled the tea in his grasp, the warmth flowing through it, then took one sip.

Yumi screamed even louder.

Riku tried to tune her out while sipping some more of his tea, his stomach was twisted in anguish. He felt helpless against Yumi's pain.

Yumi let out another scream and started crying, her sobs muffling the shrieks a little. Riku thrust his cup onto the computer desk, he had had enough.

"I'm gonna go for a walk," Riku remarked and sauntered toward the door. Cloud sidled out of his way as Riku slammed the door open. He walked through the winding streets and found his way to an all too familiar castle. He had done many things in this place, things he wasn't proud of, that led to his friend's ruin and his own.

Riku looked around the stone walls, it was damp and poorly lit except for the blue orbs hung at uneven intervals. Farther down natural light was trickling into the hall, as Riku reached it he saw it was a window without any glass, a cutout through the wall.

He took a moment to stare at the sunset.

"Unpleasant memories?" a voice spoke from the shadows. Riku spun around in time to see Cloud step forward.

"Just a little," Riku said composing himself.

Cloud blinked and shook his head, "Look I know the darkness's call just as well as you do, but the past is over, you can be good now."

"How do you know?" Riku countered, "Everything I do, everything I've ever done is screwed up somehow in the end."

"You're seriously convinced of that?" Cloud cocked his head to the side sardonically.

"Look at what I've done! Look at how bad things are now! I did most of this destruction, me and those wretched heartless!" Riku was shouting now.

"But it doesn't have to be that way now. I know you've changed, there is a light burning brightly in you even though you don't see it yourself," Cloud replied. Riku scoffed, he hadn't changed, he destroyed everything.

"I can't make things right. I only make things worse. That's why I'm working so hard to bring Sora back!" Riku turned his back on Cloud, "Sora always fixes everything, and he will fix everything. And once he's back, I'll disappear. So I won't destroy anything ever again."

"If that's what you wish to believe, I'll leave you to your sulking," Cloud stated then left the silver-haired boy alone.

* * *

When Yumi finally opened her eyes, she found a dark haired girl standing over her.

"Hiyah!" she bellowed and waved enthusiastically, "My name's Yuffie!"

The girl chuckled then helped Yumi sit up on the bed she didn't remember falling asleep, in fact she didn't remember falling asleep at all, just the ghosts of her friends in that dream.

Yumi mustered up her best smile she could at the moment, she felt wiped out though. Her energy was completely drained.

"You look sleepy, this should help," another brunette, with a long braid, held out a cup of delicious smelling herbal tea to her. Yumi took it thankfully and drank it down. "By the way, my name's Aerith," the woman smiled warmly.

"Nice to meet you, both of you," Yumi replied, still rather groggily. Yumi blinked when she finally noticed all the people in the room watching her, she recognized Leon, who was appearing nonchalant while scribbling some designs on a chalkboard, but she didn't see Riku or Cloud.

"I can't find anything," a man in a funny blue hat and robe stated in dismay from a writing desk close by. He turned to the three girls, "Oh! She's awake. Thank heavens."

"She was screaming enough in her sleep," a man with blonde hair said. He sat in front of an immense computer blinking with different lines of data, "It's no wonder you didn't notice it had stopped."

"Well, I was immersed in my work," the man in blue answered curtly then turned back to Yumi, "I'm Merlin the Wizard. How do you do?"

Merlin thrust out a weathered hand for Yumi to shake. She took it and smiled at the man.

"And I'm Cid," the blond pointed his thumb at himself and winked.

"I'm sorry Miss, but I couldn't find any indicators of why were in so much pain in that poison you were injected with," Merlin remarked.

"Pain?" Yumi questioned.

"Yeah, you were screaming and twitching when the boys brought you in here," Yuffie answered.

"Oh," Yumi looked down at the steam rising up from the remainder of her tea, "I don't remember."

"Strange," Aerith stated, she smiled at Yumi then walked to stand by Leon.

"So who was this Ventus you kept talking about?" Yuffie asked, pulling the subject back to Yumi.

"Huh?" Yumi was seriously confused, she hadn't mentioned Ven at all.

"Ventus, you kept screaming out his name. Who is he?" Yuffie inquired further.

Yumi drank the last of her tea then responded, "Ven was a good friend of mine, but we were separated and I really need to find him."

"Bummer," Yuffie added then skipped off to help Cid with something.

Yumi frowned slightly, how would she even begin to search for him?

"You know, there is a mirror I've heard about that can show you anyone you wish to see and where they are," Merlin remembered.

"Really?" Yumi suddenly couldn't breathe, "Where is it? How do I find it? What do I have to do to get it?" Yumi leaned closer on the bed, her full attention intently on Merlin as if she were starving and he was a piece of life-giving bread.

"It's on a different world not too far from here, a place called Beast's Castle," Merlin answered.

"I have to get there, now!" Yumi shrieked.

"Calm down young lady, I'm still working on gettin' you a gummi ship. Ya' can't leave just yet," Cid remarked, not looking away from his computer, "Besides you gotta get Riku to go with you, he knows how to fly a gummi ship."

"Well where is he?" Yumi asked. Before anyone answered Merlin's front door opened and slammed shut. Cloud stalked inside.

"I give up, let him sulk," he stated, obviously annoyed.

"Did you find him?" Yuffie inquired bluntly.

"Yea," Cloud smirked, "I attempted some words of wisdom, but Riku's too stubborn to listen."

"Where is he?" Leon asked.

"Moping in the bailey," Cloud answered dryly then plopped down on one of Merlin's high-backed chairs.

"Mind if I try to reason with him?" Yumi tried.

"Sure why not, the bailey is at the edge of the residential district, up some stairs and across the ledge and you'll be there," Cloud directed. Yumi thanked him and walked out of Merlin's house.

"Good luck," Cloud added smugly just before Yumi was completely out the door. She shrugged off the sarcastic comment and set her attentions on following Cloud's directions. They were very simple and Yumi found the bailey fairly quickly.

Once inside she saw Riku looking out a window at the sunset, the light setting an eerie glow about the room.

"Hey," she said, getting his attention.

"What do you want?" Riku snapped.

"Nothing," Yumi stepped to Riku's side and put her hands behind her back.

"You're lying," Riku remarked dryly, the accent of a snarl in his tone.

"I'm just worried about you, no one should be alone this much," Yumi replied.

"I'm not worth the effort," Riku said and turned his back farther away from Yumi.

"Why?" Yumi questioned, how could he believe that about himself?

"You see the destruction around you, I did it, me," Riku stated. Yumi looked at the destroyed concrete walls and crumbling buildings.

"You couldn't have done all this by yourself," Yumi replied kindly.

"But I had a hand in it all, and so did a sorceress named Maleficent, as I hate to admit it," Yumi saw a familiar smirk cross Riku's face from over his shoulder.

"Riku, why do you wear a blindfold?" Yumi blurted out, the question had burned inside Yumi since she met the boy, it finally was released at the definite wrong time.

"So my eyes cannot lie to someone about the darkness within me."

_Darkness?_ Yumi thought, but did not dare ask this aloud. She stayed silent, eyeing the knot in his blindfold concealed slightly by his hair. She sighed.

"Well isn't this just touching," a much too familiar voice sent chills down Yumi's back. She turned to face Xigbar as he walked out from a Corridor of Darkness.

"What now?" Yumi spat at the dark man. He summoned his shooters from seeming nowhere.

"I was sent to take you back to The Castle That Never Was," Xigbar remarked in his drawled out tone.

"What makes you think she will go with you?" Riku countered as he summoned his keyblade, Yumi did the same.

"Two reasons, and they're in my hands," Xigbar replied then held up his weapons. He pointed one shooter at Yumi and pulled the trigger.

"Yumi!"

_And that's Chapter 5 thank you all for reading, and please review :D Until next time…_


	6. Chapter 6: Stoking the Flames

_Well, now Chapter 6, signed sealed and delivered. Thank you SoulSilverShipping for reviewing the last chapter, it was much appreciated. And thanks to everyone who read the last chapter; I'm hoping this installment is just as good as the others. Here we go…_

**Chapter 6: Stoking the Flames**

Yumi couldn't explain in words what it felt like getting shot in the stomach.

All she knew was a burning from the extrusion that embedded itself in her flesh, and there was blood, lots of blood.

Yumi slowly cocked her head down, mouth agape, to find the bullet protruding from her stomach. She breathed deeply when she saw the thick red liquid trickling from her living body. She felt woozy, to say the least, black splotches clouded her vision.

_I guess I'll just pass out again, _Yumi thought as she began to yield her strength; _everything gets better when I wake up._

"No! Yumi!" Riku's voice was like a faint memory. It filled her brain with pleasure, a numbing to the unbelievable physical pain. His presence reminded her of someone, someone from the Land of Departure…

"Yumi!" he screeched again, although his voice was oddly warped by the creeping subconciousness. She slumped to her knees as her strength continued to drain.

A couple clangs of metal sounded in her ears, but Yumi could no longer see, all she saw was blackness. She didn't have the time to worry about the battle around her, she was in one herself.

Yumi wondered why she kept such a grip on her consciousness, she much preferred to be asleep, sleep meant an escape.

_Don't think like that,_ the man that had spoken to her when she was lost to darkness commanded her.

_But it's the truth,_ Yumi thought back.

_Not this time, you're dying. If you sleep now you won't be waking up._

_But I have no strength, I can't stop my death, _Yumi replied.

_Not alone, but I'm here. Open your eyes and everything will be fine._

Suddenly Yumi felt strength rush through her veins. Adrenaline pumped through her, she felt her body push herself up from what felt like very damp rock.

Yumi opened her eyes.

Riku was fighting Xigbar on the far end of the bailey, his face twisted with pain and anger; he was throwing powerful blows towards the man. However he was rather good at dodging.

"How could you just shoot her?" Riku bellowed as he lunged for another strike, "You killed her!"

Xigbar smirked and opened his mouth to say something but was surprised to hear Yumi's voice echo in the hall.

"No he didn't," Yumi stated shakily, her arms trembled trying to get used to this new strength. Riku and Xigbar stopped fighting and stared at the blonde kneeling before them.

Yumi began to stand but was hindered by pain in her stomach. The bullet was still there causing her body to drain of blood, quickly. Yumi stared at the extrusion in anger then ripped it from her stomach in pure rage. The blood gushed even more now, but the pain lessened and Yumi could stand tall.

She forced a sharp stare on Xigbar, her mouth turned down in a grimace.

Xigbar's face was in full bewilderment, but he composed himself in an instant. Returning to his old sardonic self.

"Hm, you're strong enough to face my shooters. That's surprising. I covered those bullets with a stronger poison than the one we used to drug you, and you've overcome that as well," Xigbar smirked a little, but it didn't touch his eyes. Was he actually scared of her?

Yumi shook the thought off. Nobodies can't feel. She tried to turn her head to look at…

"Don't overdo it. You're losing a lot of blood, let me handle this fight," Riku whispered into her ear from behind, Yumi squealed a little she had not expected him to be behind her, or so close to her, his warm breath danced around Yumi's ear. She wished she had the strength to push him away.

Riku flexed his grasp on his keyblade and readied himself to charge.

But Xigbar shot a bullet before Riku could attack, it only grazed his upper arm but the poison seeped into the cut causing Riku to writhe in pain.

Riku gasped, he fell backwards and gripped his arm.

Yumi looked at Xigbar, a renewed hate for his over confident attitude and ever-present smirk, she summoned Ultima weapon and charged.

"You're dead," Yumi snarled darkly, her feet thudded across the blood-stained ground.

Adrenaline pulsed through Yumi's veins; she bashed Xigbar's stomach, hard. The strike sent him reeling backwards and out into a courtyard outside the bailey.

Xigbar gathered his footing then inhumanly jumped up to an overhanging ledge, Yumi stopped while panting. Her eyes were transfixed on the dark man's every flick of movement.

"You want to play? Then let's play!" Xigbar growled Yumi then saw a burst of light and the faint outline of an invisible barrier around the entire courtyard. Yumi's eyes habitually shot towards Riku, who had finally retaliated and was bashing his keyblade trying to get inside the barrier. Yumi was trapped, alone and wounded.

_Remember Terra, he always charged headlong into battle, you have to do the same, act on your instinct. There's power inside you, you just need to learn how to reach it,_ the male voice chided.

_But-_Yumi began to reply, although the voice faded before she could.

"C'mon young lady, I'm ready to end this," Xigbar prodded, he lifted his shooters for emphasis.

The blonde gave him no notice, she picked through her brain for the power the man mentioned.

Suddenly she came across a force hidden within her heart; Yumi focused on it and pulled it out of her. Warmth bloomed in her chest as her heart began to convulse, it was as if someone were contorting her heart pushing it and molding it into a different state, the sensation took over and raced through the rest of her body. Light spread across her flesh illuminating a glow through her skin. Her clothing changed to a long strapless pink dress with many extraneous buckles and zippers. She was now barefoot and multicolored flowers were weaved into her hair. Even her keyblade shifted color to match the foreign outfit.

"What the-" Xigbar stammered, he stared in awe as Yumi was changing form.

"Let's play," Yumi stated when the light was done changing her. She didn't know what had happened to her, but since her strength was renewed, Yumi wasn't about to question it. She followed her instinct and, at the moment, it was telling her to end the nobody before her.

Xigbar smirked and leaped from his perch; if Yumi let him land he'd crash right on top of her. As a reflex Yumi raised her keyblade to intercept him. To her surprise, a huge gust of wind blasted out from her keyblade and pushed Xigbar away from Yumi. He landed flat on the ground.

_I can wield wind? _Yumi thought looking at her hands in amazement. That gave Xigbar the opening to bash her side with one of his shooters. Yumi flew a few feet then skidded on to the ground. Her side ached and her stomach burned, some blood seeped through her dress.

_You couldn't have healed my stomach?_ Yumi questioned the voice sharply, to which it gave no reply.

Yumi sighed and got back up. Xigbar wasn't far away; he was wincing and shifting his weight a lot on his feet.

"Yumi! Hang on!" Riku called from outside the barrier, "I'm going to get the others!"

Yumi watched him run out of the bailey; she turned back around to face Xigbar, who was eyeing her angrily.

Yumi thrust her arm outwards, sending a gust of wind flowing towards him. Xibgar was forced back a few feet, but this time still standing.

He was wincing again while he took a step forward and shot his weapon. Yumi watched the bullet and deflected it with her blade, the bullet ricocheted off with a clang, she countered with another blast of wind.

Xigbar allowed the wind to push him back, then he charged, which Yumi again sent a blast of wind his way. Xigbar kept running though, making little progress.

He ground his teeth angrily after being sent back once again. Yumi kept her eyes intently on Xigbar, so closely that she thought she saw the air around him begin to warp, but then he disappeared. Just into thin air he was nowhere.

Yumi frantically spun around scanning the courtyard for the nobody but he wasn't there.

Yumi lowered her blade for just a second then out of seeming nowhere she heard feet thudding behind her. Yumi spun to see Xigbar with both shooters pointed sharply at her head.

"You're not the only one that has a neat trick," Xigbar said as he approached. He dug his heels into the ground and slowed himself to a stalk, "Just face it, you're coming with me."

Yumi screamed in frustration.

Her anger kept building inside her, and her skin began to glow brighter, illuminating an incandescent light. It blinded Xigbar allowing Yumi an opening, which she took full advantage of.

She charged to the dark man as fast as she could, this time instead of just blasting him with wind, she swung her keyblade and used the wind to build up pressure behind it. When the blade made contact with Xigbar's left arm, the force nearly wrung it from his shoulder, his shooter was flung across the courtyard.

Yumi did the same with his other arm; the second shooter was wrenched from his hand.

Xigbar's arms were limp at his sides, with no other options he teleported a few feet away. When he disappeared Yumi ran after the empty space. Once he reappeared she knocked him down with her wind then bashed him with her keyblade. Her blows were devastating.

Xigbar slumped over, "You….pass…." he whispered between gasps.

A dark corridor opened behind Xigbar, he jumped inside, leaving Yumi alone.

The silence after the battle was a comfort to Yumi's throbbing body.

Yumi relaxed as her form returned back to normal, her clothes morphed back to her original shirt and shorts, the flowers dissipated from her hair. All that remained of the form was a warmth in her hand, she opened it and there was a little pink heart-shaped stone there, it glinted in the sunlight. She closed her fingers around it again and reclined onto her back.

She breathed heavily as she inspected her wounded stomach. The blood flow had slowed, but it looked as if she would live.

Yumi rested in a thankful bliss, waiting for Riku to come back and save her.

* * *

Riku pushed himself faster through the cobblestone streets in Hollow Bastion, making his way through each winding turn.

He needed to get back to Yumi, she was all alone while wounded, he didn't want to think what could happen to her if he didn't make it back in time.

"Riku you're going too fast! We can't keep up!" Yuffie squealed from behind him. He gave the meek girl little notice but responded out of necessity.

"I need to be there _now_! I have to keep going," He yelled back to the group behind him. When he had left Yumi in the bailey he ran as fast as he could back to Merlin's house and gathered Cloud, Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith to help her.

They were all in hysterics trying to get to her, but endurance was proving against them today. Even Riku was weakening the closer they got.

The group reached a staircase that led to the bailey; Riku took a deep breath and forced himself up the steps without hesitation. The others followed suit but found it difficult to keep up with Riku's insane pace.

The silver-haired boy was mere feet away from the entrance when suddenly a horde of shooter nobodies ambushed the group; they were forced to stop by the wretched beings.

_Xigbar's nobodies,_ Riku thought in despair. Everyone pulled themselves to a stop as the nobodies stared menacingly with their "eyes".

Yuffie was the first to attack them, with no warning she thrust her ninja stars at a sharpshooter, it was knocked over by the force of the weapons, Yuffie then jumped on top of it and impaled the being. Then Cloud and Leon joined in, fighting back to back combing through the white convulsing bodies.

"Riku! Aerith! We can handle this, go help Yumi!" Leon yelled from the fray, Riku hesitated. He wasn't about to abandon his friends in the middle of a fight.

Aerith put her hand on Riku's shoulder.

"C'mon, they will be fine," Aerith said her voice still collected and casual. Riku breathed in then nodded and led the way into the bailey.

The bailey was just as he'd left it, cold, damp, and stained in Yumi's blood.

The flashbacks made him weak in the knees, though he had killed many beings nothing compared to true death. Life truly was more precious than he could have imagined, it shouldn't be destroyed.

His thoughts curbed back to a time when destruction was what he lived for, he had walked these very streets, skulked through this very bailey not taking one second to realize how many people he'd killed.

The heartless he controlled killed hundreds, real people, who had families and lives.

How could he have made himself to believe he was doing the right thing?

"I don't see her here, where could she be?" Aerith contemplated out loud, pulling Riku from his reverie. The boy sighed and continued forward.

"She was out in the courtyard fighting Xigbar when I left," Riku sniffed the air, "But he's gone now, hopefully she isn't."

The two friends walked tentatively out onto the stair steps leading to the courtyard. Blood was pooled in some crevices on the rock ground, lessening as they continued down.

Riku scanned the area for Yumi. Around the corner of the courtyard there was a flicker of movement, Riku's vision focused on it; it was someone's torso breathing heavily.

"I think I see her!" Riku shrieked, he leaped over the side of the stairs and ran to where the body was.

But Riku wasn't prepared for what he saw.

It was Yumi; dried blood caked her skin while fresh blood continued to drain from her stomach. She was covered in sweat and lying awkwardly against the cold wall and her breathing was staggered and subdued.

Riku quickly grabbed her shoulders and tried to shake her awake.

"Yumi, c'mon wake up, Yumi open your eyes. Please," Aerith was there now standing over the mumbling Riku, she watched wistfully as Riku frantically shook the blonde headed girl.

"Yumi wake up, wake up," Riku said again, and again, and….again.

Finally he felt her muscles tense on his hands, her breath caught, and she lazily opened her incandescent gold eyes.

It took her a moment to register what was going on; Riku cradled her in his arms trying to keep her from making sudden movements. Yumi smiled up to the boy.

"I did it, I passed," Yumi spoke shakily.

"What do you mean?" Riku questioned, holding her tighter.

"I beat him, I was able to beat him," Yumi seemed very pleased with this fact, "Are you all proud of me now?"

"What are you talking about?" Riku asked, why would she ask that? Yumi didn't respond to the question so he let it go unanswered, "Yumi," her face brightened with acknowledgement when he said her name, "We're here now, we're going to make you feel better, I promise."

Riku pushed a strand of blonde hair from her face then peered up to Aerith.

"Can you heal her?" Riku asked the brown-haired woman.

"Of course," Aerith smiled and gracefully held out her hands. She made one elegant move and magic burst from her fingertips. It swirled around Yumi's head then turned into flower petals. The flower petals brushed her stomach, closing up the wound, then disappeared.

Yumi straightened up when the magic dissolved, Riku swiftly let go of her so she could sit up on the cobblestones.

"How did you do that?" she said still rather weakly.

"Magic, I used the spell curaga to heal you," Aerith stated sweetly and cupped her hands behind her back.

"Well, thank you," Yumi added, Riku gazed at the girl and finally gained feeling back into his body.

Yumi nudged Riku, "Thanks for saving me."

Riku turned to meet her eyes, although she wouldn't see his own, "You saved yourself, I just brought the healer." Yumi smiled when he said this then reclined onto the concrete wall.

"I still don't have the strength to stand though," Yumi thought out loud.

"I have just the thing!" Aerith squealed swiftly, she opened up the pouch she had tossed over her shoulder when they left Merlin's house and pulled out a jar with a green glowing liquid inside, "Drink this."

"What is it?" Yumi asked tentatively while taking the liquid from Aerith's outstretched hand.

"It's a potion," someone else answered from a few feet away. The three looked to the staircase and saw Leon, Cloud, and Yuffie making their way towards them.

"It'll replenish your strength," Cloud finished when he made it to where Riku was crouching.

Yumi still looked at the liquid warily but resolutely downed it quickly. She took in a deep breath then smiled.

"Feeling better?" Yuffie questioned bluntly.

"Yes," Yumi replied sweetly while beginning to stand. Riku jumped up and helped her start walking back to Merlin's house, Cloud lead the way and the rest walked behind Yumi just in case she swooned unexpectedly.

"We don't need any more head trauma today," Leon stated jokingly, everyone laughed as they made their way out of the bailey.

* * *

"Absolutely not!" Riku bellowed into Yumi's face.

"But that mirror is our only lead on finding my friends!" Yumi countered, they had been at this argument for about an hour but neither side would budge.

"Ugh, c'mon guys when are you going to shut up," Yuffie drawled as she played cards with Aerith on Merlin's tea table.

"Don't mess with them, Yuffie," Cloud scolded from his spot leaning on the brick wall near the door.

Yuffie huffed angrily but then sighed and returned to her game.

"No you're not going to Beast's Castle, Yumi. I've been there, it's dangerous," Riku stated, restarting their argument all together.

"But you said you'd help!" Yumi retorted, angrily. She looked down to her newly washed skin; the hint of her warm bath still scented her flesh. Yumi was grateful; it dashed the memory of her dried blood.

"I said I'd help you find your friends, I never said you could come along," Riku remarked sardonically. Yumi let out an exasperated sigh.

"But I can look after myself, I did best Xigbar in battle," Yumi replied. Riku shifted the weight on his feet, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Did you not see what _he_ did to _you_? You were lucky," Riku answered with a snarl in his voice.

"But I was strong enough to fight him, I was able to pull it off," Yumi was pleading now, desperately clinging to her will.

"Only because of that form-"

"A form?" Merlin interrupted Riku's statement abruptly; the old man crossed the room to stand next to the quarrelers.

Riku sighed and closed his eyes, his expression was aggravated.

The boy hesitated a little before replying, "Yes, what about it?"

"How did she pull off a form? I thought you said she was trapped in the darkness, and obviously she hasn't been trained in any type of magic," Merlin speculated. Yumi felt the heart-shaped stone she had stashed in her pocket flare with warmth; she and Riku had yet to tell the others about how exactly the fight had taken place.

"I don't know how she did it," Riku answered slowly, his voice was tense and clipped.

"What are forms?" Yumi blurted out, her blunt stare resting on Riku.

Riku let out an annoyed sigh and stormed off to the bed on the far wall.

"Forms are an advanced magic attack, the wielder's power is greatly increased, so much that physical traits change," Aerith recited promptly while laying down a card.

Merlin nodded in agreement, "And I'm assuming you haven't had any magic training…"

He left the sentence open ended waiting for Yumi to jump in and disagree, but she couldn't.

"No, I haven't been trained, all I know I've had to teach myself," Yumi responded, she tried to play it off as no big deal by picking up one of Merlin's many books and scanning a few tea stained pages.

"I've never heard of anything like that," The old wizard finished.

_You know more than I do_, Yumi thought to herself as she caressed one of the passages in the book, something in the black script jumped out to her.

She flipped to the front of the book and looked at the title.

_Dark Magic and the Creatures Within_

Yumi gasped, why would Merlin have a book about the darkness?

"It doesn't matter how much of an 'enigma' she is she isn't coming with me, it's too dangerous for her," Riku stated from the other side of the room, causing Yumi to forget the book for a moment.

Yumi snarled under her breath, she slammed the book back into its place and ran over to Riku. She had tried everything she could think of to get him to let her go. But now she saw she had to beg. Yumi reluctantly kreened forward onto her knees in front of Riku.

"Riku, I need to help search for them. I need to feel like I'm doing something to help, I can't just hide out waiting for you to come and bring them to me. I will not be a coward; I will fight to find them!" Yumi raised up her head, pleading the silver-haired boy to let her help.

Riku turned away and looked down at his hands.

"Fine," was all he uttered.

Yumi jumped up triumphantly and laughed.

"Tomorrow morning we'll be leaving, try to get some sleep before then," Riku added before he stood and sauntered out of Merlin's house.

Leon finally reacted from his perch next to Aerith's seat, "I'll follow him, make sure he doesn't get into any…trouble," he remarked sarcastically.

"I think he's proven he can more than handle himself," Cloud added jokingly, for some reason he looked at Yumi from the corner of his eye when he said this and chuckled lightly under his breath.

"Still it couldn't hurt," Leon finished and with that he hopped down from Merlin's brick incline and left in pursuit of Riku.

* * *

Yumi woke up the next morning before any of the others, the sun hadn't even risen yet.

Everything was resting in peaceful bliss.

Except for this girl who had just fought her first opponent today, her head buzzing with even more questions about the Organization, about Riku, and about herself. But that all seemed so insignificant when compared to the thousands of other worlds up in the sky, a million other lives that interweaved to make that very sky shine.

And she was on this world, trying to sort things out in her own mind.

Yumi sighed and tried to fall back asleep, but her mind was too much awake now. She needed something to quiet some of these questions erupting in her head. She needed to know why the Organization called her the Lady of Darkness, she needed to know why she was trapped in darkness for so long, she needed to know.

That's when an inkling of an idea burst in her head. Yumi tiptoed over to Merlin's books, carefully stepping over the others sleeping on the floor, she grabbed the book that was her best guess at answers and slipped it away into the pouch Yuffie and Aerith had filled with supplies for their trip.

After she had concealed the book Yumi lay back down and pretended to be sleeping. Just in time for Leon to stir and sit up. The brown-haired man yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Cloud wake up, Riku wake up," He whispered to the boys still sleeping next to him. Cloud sat up erectly before even opening his eyes.

"What's going on?" Cloud cried in a panic.

"Nothing but it's time for Riku and Yumi to leave, they need to get out of here as soon as possible," Leon stated then looked back at Riku.

"I'll get him up," Cloud remarked then slapped Riku on the head. The two men snickered as Riku opened his eyes and rubbed his head.

"Morning," Leon retorted. Riku scowled and sat up.

"Whatever," Leon and Cloud laughed quietly a little more as Aerith woke up, and Yuffie. Yumi pretended to wake up as well.

"I'll put on some tea to wake us up," Aerith stated then stood and began to boil some water over the fire. Yuffie followed her, leaving her weapons, shoes and headband beside her blankets. Yumi slept in her shirt and shorts last night too, she didn't have a nightgown like she was used to, and the others had explained it being unnecessary when traveling so she resolutely slept in her clothes.

The boys had decided to sleep in only their pants since it was so hot inside Merlin's house. Yumi noticed a sort of brotherly comradery form between the three while she had been here, they kept following what the other did. Even now they all pulled on their shirts at the same time.

Yumi giggled, then turned her attention to her own clothing resting on the floor. Yumi slipped into her leggings and tugged on her boots. As she laced them up Yuffie came up to her with a cup of tea.

"Thanks," Yumi said taking the cup. She gulped the liquid and, finally awake, stood up and put away her blankets.

Just as she closed the chest the blankets had come from the night before Cid, along with Merlin, barged in the house.

"Who's ready to see their gummi ship?" Cid announced, his voice bellowing throughout the room.

"So theatrical," Leon stated shortly before him, Cloud, and Riku joined the two older men at the door.

Yumi laughed and followed them with Yuffie and Aerith in tow.

Outside the sun had just risen but even then the bright red and yellow metal of the gummi ship shined in the small square.

"I've had this in the garage for a while, just needed a tune up but now it's rearin' to go," Cid explained as they drew closer.

"Thanks Cid," Riku replied and walked up to the door of the ship. Yumi followed suit.

"We shouldn't stay much longer," Riku added somberly.

"You almost forgot this," Aerith stepped forward and handed them the sack filled with food and some munny.

"Thanks," Yumi smiled then gathered Aerith into a hug, "It was nice meeting you."

Aerith smiled and hugged her back.

"Goodbye, Yumi," Aerith finished then pulled away. She turned to Riku and he nodded in affirmation, Aerith smiled then returned to her friends.

"My turn!" Yuffie yelled excitedly and tackled both Riku and Yumi in a bear hug. After Yuffie, Merlin stepped forward and gave Yumi a small satin pouch and a letter.

"Give this letter to a girl named Belle when you make it to the world, it will explain everything to her and she will get you the mirror," Merlin explained.

"What's inside the bag?" Yumi asked.

"Inside this pouch is the magic element for cure, I figured you might need it," Merlin answered.

Yumi smiled, "Thank you so much."

Merlin laughed, "It sure will prove useful to you," with that the quirky man backed up to stand with the others.

"Bye," Cloud stated curtly, his eyes were looking at his feet and he was standing the farthest away from Yumi, she wondered why.

"Goodbye," Leon added.

"See you soon," Yumi replied then climbed into the gummi ship. Riku said a quick goodbye then went inside as well. He settled in the drivers chair while Yumi strapped herself in one of the accompanying seats.

Yumi relaxed in the white metal interior of the ship, her excitement bounding inside her.

"Ready?" Riku asked from over his shoulder.

"More than ever," Yumi answered playfully. She saw Riku smirk from over his shoulder.

"Then hold on," Riku stated and flipped on the gummi ship.

The vessel roared to life, Yumi felt it begin to lift from the ground, then with a flick of Riku's wrist on the steering wheel, they were flying. They accelerated in speed the farther up they went, and suddenly Hollow Bastion was only a memory behind them.

* * *

Two figure's stood alone in a place much deeper than darkness.

"I hope you know what you're doing," one figure, the woman, said.

"Of course I do," the other, the man replied.

"You claim her to be something good, but I see darkness spawning in her heart. Are you certain she's the one?" the woman questioned her friend.

"I told you already, you saw the form she pulled off today, that proves it," the man responded.

"But what about the book she stole, she's adhering to the darkness," the woman countered.

"You shouldn't be so speculative," the man stated.

"Maybe you shouldn't be so speculative either," the woman added harshly.

_Her time is drawing close,_ the man thought to himself. Deciding it better not to stoke the cinders of their argument…

_And that is Chapter 6, I hope you enjoyed it. Be ready for the next installment when they reach Beast's Castle and officially begin their quest for the lost keybladers, although if you've played Birth by Sleep then you already know what happens to them. Quite the dramatic irony don't you think? Anyways, please review and let me know how I could improve on the story or what you think about it so far. Until next time… _


	7. Chapter 7: A Beauty and A Beast

_And now it's Chapter 7 things are really starting to pick up now. Sorry I took so long to upload this, I'm an impulse writer, I'll try to get better at that. Hopefully you will enjoy this chapter as much as the last. A huge thank you to SoulSilverShipping for reviewing the last chapter, and thanks to all of the readers who have encouraged me to continue with this story, now to chapter 7…_

**Chapter 7: A Beauty and A Beast**

"Again. Again you come back beaten?" Xemnas remarked.

Xigbar winced; he knew he had failed his superior once again.

"How could I know that she could overcome that poison, and being shot in the stomach?" Xigbar objected, trying to win some grace back in the eyes of the Organization's leader.

"Did I not make it clear that she is powerful? She's the Lady of Darkness, she has so much inside her, we can't afford to underestimate her," Xemnas his voice vacant of emotion but still Xigbar hung his head in defeat, he had made a mistake. His psuedo-emotions running rampant.

"Perhaps if I were to fight her again I could-"

"No," Xemnas interrupted the gravelling nobody, "You're out of chances. I'll send somebody more able to take her on."

The words cut through Xigbar, _more able,_ kept repeating in his mind.

"And who would that be?" Xigbar retaliated, attempting to sound angry.

Just as he said this a bulky figure stalked out from his hiding place in the shadows to stand at Xemnas' right hand.

"Who else would you expect?" Xaldin spoke, enjoying this moment of cruelty. Xigbar raised his head to stare the emotionless man in the eyes. Xigbar was more than shocked, he thought he was the closest to Xemnas, he knew more about him than anyone, even Xemnas himself. Xigbar must have over-estimated that credibility.

"Anyone but you," Xigbar replied in monotone, it was moments like this he wished he had a heart, so that he could siphon true hatred into his words.

Xemnas held up a hand to stop the harsh words.

"Xaldin, they're headed to Beast's Castle, go have fun," Xemnas ordered the black-haired man.

"Of course, my liege," Xaldin replied then turned on his heel and began to stride out of the room.

"Oh, and Xaldin," Xemnas's words stopped Xaldin in mid-step.

"Yes, my liege?" Xaldin spoke in a respectful tone. Xigbar grimaced; Xaldin was quite the suck-up.

"Bring her back alive, we have some business to discuss," Xemnas said darkly and turned his back on Xigbar, as if he'd forgotten the nobody was listening to the entire exchange.

"Of course and what about Riku?" Xaldin questioned, although he already knew the answer.

"Kill him," was all Xemnas said.

* * *

Outside the cold glass window of the gummi ship, Yumi watched space pass her by.

"This is so beautiful," Yumi gushed excitedly as she peered out.

Riku gave no reply; he sat in the driver's seat and focused on steering the gummi ship. Yumi sighed and reclined back into her chair.

"I've seen better," Riku mumbled, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

Yumi chuckled lightly then reached the bag full of supplies.

_He's so intent on flying, maybe if I read a little bit now he won't notice, _Yumi thought slyly. She sneakily pulled out Merlin's stolen book and turned to the first page.

_The darkness is a mysterious place filled with many creatures, no one is ever sure where they came from but do know the beings within it are always hostile…_

…was the beginning line of the book. Yumi sighed; it was going over things she already knew. Yumi scanned the book for something more intriguing and found herself on a page in the very middle of it. The script wasn't in a language she understood, she could tell that as soon as she attempted to read the passage.

Yumi blinked her eyes, trying to make sense of the foreign script to no avail.

"We're almost there," Riku said, breaking the silence. Yumi hurriedly stashed the book back into its hiding place and looked outside her window again, straining to get a good look at the worlds they were passing.

"I've kinda been wondering why they call it Beast's Castle," Yumi pondered.

Riku laughed, "Oh just you wait."

With a flick of his wrist Riku began descending towards the world beneath them. Once the ship was a few feet from the ground Riku slowed and landed the vessel.

Yumi quickly unstrapped herself from her chair and ran to where Riku was beside the door, bounding with adrenaline. Riku reached up a gloved hand to grasp the handle and pulled open the door. Beyond the thick threshold lay the first world on Yumi's journey, Beast's Castle.

When they hopped out of the ship Yumi finally noticed they were in a forest, the sounds of animals erupted all around them. Yumi sucked in a breath, the air was humid and smelled like damp earth.

"We need to head East, that's where we'll find the castle," Riku stated and began walking away from where the sun was setting.

"Why didn't you just land the gummi ship at the castle?" Yumi inquired, slightly confused.

"Because, the biggest rule for keybladers and…others…is to not interfere with the affairs of other worlds, which includes mentioning anything about other worlds to the inhabitants of a world," Riku explained then motioned for Yumi to follow. Yumi obeyed but was still alighted with questions.

"Well what about Hollow Bastion?" Yumi remarked.

"They already knew about the other worlds, Hollow Bastion was at one time consumed by darkness so the people who survived somehow made it to other worlds. Leon, Yuffie, Cid, and Aerith took refuge in a place called Traverse Town," Riku continued, his voice very formal and quiet.

"And where did Cloud take refuge?" Yumi asked while avoiding a fallen tree branch in the underbrush. Riku didn't respond immediately, he jumped up onto a high boulder blocking their path and held out his hands to help Yumi up.

Yumi grabbed his hands in hers then Riku pulled her up onto the boulder with him. Yumi struggled to find her footing on the restricted space on the boulder; she found herself mere inches from Riku.

"So many questions," Riku said with a smirk, Yumi looked up into the boy's face. Although his blindfold still concealed his eyes Yumi could almost feel the passion inside them bearing down on her. It was too much to withhold; Yumi looked down to the forest floor, wondering how they'd get down.

"What will you say if people ask why you're blindfolded?" Yumi said, changing the subject.

Riku slid down the side of the rock before replying, "Tell them I'm blind."

Yumi slid down the boulder just as Riku did, although not as gracefully, the shock when her feet hit the ground sent her flailing forward into Riku. Yumi's forehead hit hard into his chest, the force of the collision sent Riku backward.

"Sorry," Yumi replied sheepishly while rubbing her now throbbing forehead. Riku simply laughed.

He offered only the ghost of a smile then turned and kept on going.

The two continued their trek through the forest when some rustling in the bushes made Riku halt. Another bush behind them stirred and a low menacing growl came with it. Riku spun around to face the creature while summoning his keyblade, just in time for five wolves to creep out from their hiding spots.

They were surrounded.

Yumi closed her eyes for a moment to calm herself then called on Ultima weapon; the blade appeared within a burst of light.

Riku stood back to back with her now, sizing up the immense wolves, one snapped at Yumi but quickly retreated from the reach of her keyblade before she had time to react. This action seemed to be the catalyst for the fight; Riku lunged at the first wolf, bashing its side. Yumi held up her weapon to block at a charging wolf then attacked with a combo in mid-air.

Another wolf tried to take her from behind, it jumped just as Yumi landed from her previous attack. Yumi didn't hesitate, though, to bicycle kick the animal's jaw, sending it reeling back in pain. Yumi peered over to Riku, finishing a painful offense that made one wolf run into the woods terribly wounded. He spun and slashed at the next wolf, but while he was occupied with that one, another was readying itself to pounce on his neck. Yumi ran and tackled the wolf, it yelped in surprise.

Yumi swiftly got back onto her feet but the wolf was faster and jumped on top of her. Yumi let go of Ultima Weapon to hold back the animal's jaws snapping wildly towards her neck.

"Yumi!" Riku screeched and made his way over to the blonde on the ground. Riku dragged the tip of his keyblade on the ground then upward slashed the wolf attacking Yumi. It was flung off of her a few feet away, dead.

The other three wolves saw their pack mate lifeless on the ground and sneered, all at once they pounced onto Riku, rapidly scratching and biting at the silver-haired boy.

Yumi screamed and gathered her keyblade from where she had dropped it then sprinted as fast as she could to Riku.

She bashed the first wolf's head, and hit the second's back leg, which broke the moment her blade made contact. The third tried to hinder Yumi's attacks by biting her forearm that held her weapon. She winced slightly at the pain but found the strength to thrust the wolf off of her, Yumi raised her keyblade high over her head and crashed it down onto the third wolf's shoulder.

The animal screeched in pain then retreated back into the forest with the others, their tail's between their legs.

Yumi breathed deeply trying to regulate her heartbeat and returned her gaze to Riku.

It appeared he had passed out from the shock of the attack, at least he couldn't feel the pain his wounds caused at the moment. Riku's wounds weren't that bad, though. He had minor scratches all over him and a few bite marks on his face, but nothing on his neck, miraculously. Somehow he kept them from biting the vital area.

The blonde-haired girl remembered the magic element Merlin had given her. Yumi slipped it out of the pouch and looked at it. The magic element was green with a little red swirl embedded inside the crystal exterior, and four gold spokes sticking out the sides.

Yumi looked back and forth between Riku and the element, sighed, and tried setting it on his chest. Yumi hoped something, anything would happen and Riku would be healed.

A little downcast, Yumi dismissed her keyblade, put away the magic, and picked up Riku. His body slumped onto hers; Yumi hadn't anticipated him to be so heavy. She willed herself to stand, though her muscles shook from the strain, and slowly made a few steps.

"East," Yumi said in between gasps for air, she sighed and resolutely continued on her way.

It wasn't that far away where the castle lay, only a couple miles from where the wolves had attacked. Yumi finally reached the castle gate, with much difficulty, but she made it.

The blonde was pleased to find the front gate wasn't locked; it opened easily with a scream from the old hinges. Yumi pushed herself forward again towards the front door, then a few feet inside the foyer.

Yumi didn't have time to inspect the interior of the castle before slumping over in exhaustion.

She didn't know how long she rested on that cool tile floor, although it didn't matter much.

She relished the time she had to rest her muscles and catch up her breathing. Her body gradually relaxed to the point that Yumi was beginning to doze.

"How long do you think they've been here?" a frantic voice sounded from the staircase. Yumi heard two figures start hopping over to her, but they didn't sound like human footsteps.

"Who knows? Who cares? We should help them," another voice spoke, with the slur of a French accent in its voice. Yumi tilted her head searching for the sources of the voices, although that was easier said than done considering the room was barely lit. All Yumi could make out was a lush red carpet stretching out to a grand staircase.

"The master will care!" the first voice croaked, close by. Yumi sighed and rested her head on the floor again, not sensing any immediate danger from the two voices.

"Oh, mon ami, you and I can see that he's changed. And we have Belle, he can't get angry at her," the second replied. Yumi recognized the name Belle; she wondered what they were talking about.

"Well I don't like this," the first huffed. Yumi tentatively raised her head to view the source of the two voices.

And before her were a candelabra and a little clock.

"She's awake! Oh how wonderful, all the more easier to serve!" the candelabra said, Yumi recognized him as the second voice. He hopped closer to Yumi's face.

"Stay back, we should wait for the master to decide," the first voice, the little clock, remarked in a panic.

"Don't mind Cogsworth, he always does this to anyone new. Oh! And I'm Lumiere," the candelabra thrust out one candlestick and Yumi slowly moved her hand to shake it. Instead, though, Lumiere kissed it, much to her surprise.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Yumi, and the boy over there is my friend Riku," Yumi introduced, "What is this place?"

Yumi asked this while pushing herself up into a sitting position, trying to stifle her surprise at talking to household items.

"Why, Beast's Castle no less!" Lumiere shouted thrashing his "arms" about dramatically.

"Do you really think you should be telling her that?" Cogsworth said hushing his friend.

"Actually, I was hoping you'd say that, I came to see a girl named Belle, do you know her?" Yumi interrupted, Cogsworth and Lumiere halted and peered up to the blonde.

"Mademoiselle? You know her?" Lumiere questioned in apparent shock.

"Sure, and on mine and my friends way here we were attacked by wolves. He really needs some medical attention, is there any way you can think of that will help?" Yumi inquired.

Yumi peered past Lumiere and Cogsworth to inspect the vast expanse of the castle foyer. With the glow from Lumiere, Yumi was able to see the massive cathedral ceilings, the intricate carvings on the banisters, and the lush fabrics draped throughout.

"But of course!" Lumiere chided loudly.

"No, no, no. Remember what happened the last time you let a stray traveller in?" Cogsworth replied pushing Lumiere away from Yumi.

"Well that brought Belle to us, did it not?" Lumiere smirked and barreled passed the little clock.

"Well, uh-" Cogsworth stuttered just as Lumiere motioned for Yumi to stand. The blond took one glance at Cogsworth then stood and picked up Riku again.

Slowly the group walked to a door on the right side of the room, Cogsworth objecting the entire way. As they entered Yumi felt the sudden warmth of the fire, Yumi drew closer to it and plopped herself and Riku onto the rich red carpet.

"Oh, mademoiselle you can sit in the chair!" Lumiere offered nudging her towards the high backed seat in the middle of the room.

"Let Riku sit there, I'll be fine here," Yumi smiled at the candelabra and turned to warm her hands by the fire.

Lumiere conceded and clapped his candlesticks together; suddenly a hat stand walked over and picked up Riku. Yumi was a little unsure about it carrying him, but it seemed to have no trouble so Yumi relaxed.

The hat stand set Riku down in the chair and wrapped him tightly in a blanket; Yumi grinned, everything was going to be fine now.

"I'll go get Belle before the master finds out about this," Cogsworth huffed then scuttled out of the room.

Yumi yawned and closed her eyes.

"Would you like a cup of tea, dear?" a voice said from beside her. Yumi shoved her eyes open, in front of her was a quaint little tea pot smiling warmly up to her.

"Uh, sure," Yumi replied a little sheepishly, she tried to get used to the fact that she was talking to inanimate objects.

"By the way, my name is Mrs. Potts," She said while filling a cup with tea, "And this is my son, Chip."

"Nice to meet you," the teacup squealed excitedly, almost spilling the tea.

Yumi laughed, "Well it's nice to meet you too."

Yumi gratefully sipped the warm tea, letting the heat envelope her.

"You all are so hospitable here, I'm glad I was able to find this castle. Considering my friend…" Yumi trailed off, looking down at Chip in her hands.

"Oh of course, dear, we love to serve, and believe me he's going to be fine," Mrs. Potts assured, smiling at her.

"I hope so," Yumi replied after finishing the last gulp of her tea. She set Chip down and scooted closer to the fire.

"Ahem!" someone called from the door to the den. Yumi cocked her head around and saw Cogsworth standing at the entrance to the room, "The mistress will see you now."

"Cogsworth, you don't need to be so uptight," a woman's tender voice said from behind him. Yumi watched as Cogsworth hung his head then joined the others tending to Riku. Suddenly a woman with brown hair pulled back with a bow and wearing a light blue dress entered the room.

Her gaze went from Riku then to Yumi then back to Riku.

"Is he alright?" She asked genuinely startled.

"Just a little banged up, he should be as good as new by tomorrow," Lumiere explained then bowed for the woman.

"And who's this?" the woman asked, turning her attention back to Yumi.

Yumi stood and curtsied for her and answered, "My name is Yumi, and I came with the boy over there, his name's Riku. We're, uh, travelers," Yumi added, remembering what Riku said about not revealing that there are other worlds to people.

"Oh I know Riku," she smiled brightly; "I met him in Hollow Bastion a while back."

Yumi was shocked, "You know about the other worlds?"

"Yes, I do, and so does everyone in this castle. But if you were to stumble into town, nobody there would have a clue," she explained, Yumi sensed there was a tinge of sadness in her voice when she said this.

"Anyway," she continued, "My name is Belle, I see you've met the others already, I hope they didn't startle you too terribly, not everybody is used to an enchanted castle you know."

Belle chuckled lightly, Yumi returned a smile.

"My name is Yumi, it's nice to meet you Belle," Yumi responded.

"It's nice to meet you too. Now what has brought you here, and what happened to Riku?" Belle asked.

Yumi recounted their story to this point. Belle listened intently as Yumi spoke of Aqua, Terra, and Ven, of the Land of Departure, of her time in the darkness and meeting Riku, to finally learning about the mirror and feeling that that was the only way to find her friends. Belle didn't interrupt her story except once when she offered they sit in a couple chairs Lumiere and Mrs. Potts had set up before Yumi finished her story.

"Well, you guys have been a long way simply trying to find your friends," Belle said, sounding impressed.

"I have to find them, they took me in and cared for me, they were the only family I had left. I have to find them," Yumi responded feeling the pain of their loss erupt in her chest.

"Then believe me, I will try everything in my power to get the beast to give you the mirror so that you can find your friends. But first, you and Riku need a place to stay while he heals," Belle turned her gaze to the still resting Riku, "Lumiere and Cogsworth, would you please carefully take Riku and Yumi to their rooms?"

"Of course Madame," Lumiere cooed then clapped his candlesticks together, "We need a chair!"

Suddenly a chair burst through the door, walking on its own. Lumiere helped to get Riku into it and then the chair slowly headed out of the room.

"Wait just a minute, Lumiere! I'm the head of household; I tell who does what around here!" Cogsworth interjected as he slapped Lumiere in the face.

"No you just think you do!" Lumiere shouted then burnt the clock's hand with his candlestick.

"Yeowch!" Cogsworth screeched. Yumi laughed at their exchange, Belle giggled as well.

"Just take them to their rooms," Belle chided. Cogsworth and Lumiere stopped in the middle of wrestling each other and sighed.

"Alright," Cogsworth and Lumiere mumbled simultaneously and headed towards Yumi.

"This way, mademoiselle," Lumiere motioned for Yumi to follow them out the door. Yumi stood and thanked Belle for her kindness before following Lumiere and Cogsworth.

"You're welcome, come down for dinner later, I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine," Belle replied cryptically before Yumi was out of the room.

Yumi walked with Cogsworth and Lumiere up a grand staircase and into an immense hall with three doors.

"The door straight ahead is the mistress's room," Cogsworth instructed while pointing to a pair of ornate double doors at the end of the hall, "To the right is Riku's room, and you can visit him whenever you like, by the way. And to the left is your room."

The clock and candelabra opened her bedroom door for her and let Yumi step inside.

"It's lovely," Yumi stated. And it was, the room was furnished with an immense canopy bed, a huge gothic window, a vanity, and other luxurious items that reminded her she was in a castle.

"We're glad you like it," Cogsworth said, finally sharing some warmth to his tone.

"If there's anything you need just ask and we will be happy to oblige," Lumiere offered then bowed to Yumi.

"Thank you so much," Yumi crouched onto her knees and kissed the clock and candelabra gently on the forehead.

"W-well you're welcome," Cogsworth blushed, "Um, we should leave you to get ready for dinner, we shall see you soon Madame."

Lumiere laughed at his friend, "It was a pleasure, goodbye," Lumiere smiled at Yumi then ushered Cogsworth out of the room.

Yumi sighed at their absence and collapsed onto her bed. So many things had happened in such a short amount of time, she wondered if her entire journey will be like this.

* * *

Belle looked down upon the man who had once tried to steal her heart.

And now he was here, sleeping peacefully in the place she had come to call home. It was strange knowing what he had tried to accomplish, but she couldn't be angry with him, he had been under Maleficent's influence and was overcome by Ansem. She supposed that may be the reason he was helping Yumi now, as if to purge for his past mistake.

Belle wondered what it was like to live with a burden like his, succumbing himself to the darkness, and even after turning away from it, it still was slowly eroding his humanity. It was a terrible fate, she wished there was something, anything she could do to help him but nothing came to mind.

With a sigh, Belle turned away from Riku resting on his bed and decided to search for the beast. She needed to warn him about Riku and Yumi staying with them before he found out and blew up about it.

She hurried along to the entrance of the west wing, but she had learned her lesson to not step any closer.

"Beast? Beast are you there?" Belle shouted into the west wing, hoping her friend was cooped up there, "Beast? I need to talk to you."

She heard movement at the top of the stairs and then she saw the beast descend from his hiding place.

"Yes Belle?" the beast looked at her with gentle eyes, he had really calmed down since the first time he met her, which Belle was grateful for.

"Riku is here," Belle blurted out, bracing for the worst.

"What? Why is he here?" the beast said, although he didn't sound angry, only slightly annoyed and somehow curious.

Belle explained that he had come here with Yumi and filled him in on Yumi's background, excluding the part about the mirror, she wasn't ready to ask him about that yet.

"Well if they stay out of my way, I don't mind them being here," the beast said after Belle finished.

"They will for the most part, except I invited Yumi to dinner with us tonight," Belle announced a little sheepishly.

"What?" the beast responded, anger beginning to siphon into his voice.

"Just calm down, I was being nice, and if you're the person I think you are you will let her eat with us," Belle crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Fine, whatever, I'll see you at dinner," he said finishing their conversation. The beast retreated back into the west wing without another word.

Belle frowned, she wished he wouldn't always do that, but she had toadmit she had come out of the conversation triumphant. After standing there alone for about another minute staring into the west wing, Belle finally returned to her room to wash up for dinner.

* * *

Yumi lay on her bed caressing the little pink stone that had appeared in her hand after her fight with Xigbar.

She couldn't help but wonder that her form and the stone were connected somehow. She turned the heart-shaped object over in her hands, looking for an explanation.

Exasperated by all of the questions she had, Yumi thrust the stone back into her pocket, still clueless. She didn't know how to wield curaga, or how she made that form appear, so many things that she was ignorant of, Yumi was getting sick of it.

Yumi dug her face into her pillows trying to block out the world around her.

"Frustrated?" someone called from the other end of the room. Yumi searched her room, startled that someone had come in, she didn't even hear the door open.

"Over here," the voice said, directing her attention at a wardrobe in the far corner of her room.

"Hello?" Yumi replied a little unsure if this was another talking object or if she was simply going crazy.

"Hello!" the wardrobe said in a sing-song voice as she scuttled over to Yumi's bedside.

"Uh, how do you do?" Yumi asked, unsure exactly what to say to a wardrobe.

"I'm just fine thank you, I'm so excited to help get you ready for dinner tonight," she exclaimed as she opened her doors, Yumi hadn't expected her to say that, "Now let's see, hmmm, you would look simply marvelous in this dress."

The wardrobe handed her a navy blue long-sleeved dress that was seamed just under the chest and reached down to her ankles.

Yumi stared at it for a moment, "This is very kind of you but I hadn't expected to change."

"But of course, you have to dress up for dinner!" the wardrobe explained.

"Oh ok," Yumi answered still unconvinced, she crossed the room and changed in the bathroom. She had to admit she liked how she looked in the dress, it was very flattering on her. Yumi took one last glance at herself in the mirror before returning to her room.

"Oh, you look beautiful!" the wardrobe sang, Yumi giggled at the quirky piece of furniture, "But we must do something with your hair."

As she said this, the wardrobe sat her down at the vanity and released a brush and comb from her drawers. The two items sprang onto the table and begun styling her hair. Yumi was startled at the two objects orbiting around her head, but slowly she began to see a method to their madness. When they had finished, the brush and comb had pulled back half of her bright blonde hair and put her locks into curls. Yumi was pleased with what they had done and was surprised to see herself looking the way she did, she wasn't a little girl on the Land of Departure anymore.

"I think you're finally ready for dinner," the wardrobe said happily.

_Yea, I think so too, _Yumi thought to herself before heading out the door.

* * *

The dirt stirred in wispy swirls all around him.

He lifted his head to a pale blue sky. The bright orange earth baking beneath a blistering sun, the man stood after what had felt like an eternity.

He didn't know who had awakened him but he remembered one loose end he had to tie up before his soul could finally rest within him.

He'd make it all right again…

_And that was Chapter 7, I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading, any questions comments or reviews would be greatly appreciated, stay tuned for chapter eight which hopefully I'll upload very soon. Until next time…_


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